


Death's a bitch and then you live, again (It's a reaper thing)

by shanksmuseum



Category: Glee
Genre: A lot of sex, Admittedly they do take their sweet time actually getting together, Alternate Universe - Dead Like Me, Angst, But then sex happens, Even though Kurt and Blaine are technically dead in the broader sense of the word, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Not as much as you would expect but still, Slow Build, this isn’t a death fic since they’re re-alive together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-30
Packaged: 2017-12-24 20:47:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 50,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanksmuseum/pseuds/shanksmuseum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt and Blaine as grim reapers. A tale of love, diner food and sprinklers.</p><p>This is a Dead Like Me AU. You can read this without having seen the show, just know that it's a modern day grim reaper story with a twist. The twist is that there's a happy ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: This is a Dead Like Me AU with a happy ending but they're still grim reapers which means there's going to be some deaths, most of them are either for minor characters or unknowns, mostly all done without drama or sadness (or detail), but be forewarned.
> 
> This is completely AU, none of the characters have met like in canon. There are no religious connotations in the fic, everything in that regard is neutral. As well, all the deaths during "reaps" are nondescript, non-violent and non-detailed.
> 
> I started and abandoned this fic over a year ago after 4,000 words but a few weeks back I started it up again and, low and behold, I finished it! This is now officially the longest piece I have ever written and even though I spent less time on it (technically) than other fics, it's still my baby.
> 
> Warnings of the sexual kind will be added with the appropriate chapters but the generals are: no hard kinks, complete versatility and I may have kept an orgasm counter while I was writing this. Double digits. Each. 
> 
> Given the subject nature I understand how it could turn people off from reading it but if you're even a little curious then by all means, read on!

If you wish to listen to this as a podcast, the lovely [Barca](http://massdefibrillation.tumblr.com/) made one over [here](https://soundcloud.com/barcelona-gold/death-is-a-bitch-chapter-1)!

~-~-~-~

Santana was glaring at everyone, Puck was picking out his lunch, Mike was playing with sugar packets, Emma was trying to rearrange the sugar packets and Kurt was staring at the door.

“She’s late.”

Santana snorted, Puck patted him on the head, Mike smiled sympathetically, Emma stole back the packets he had been playing with. Sue walked in.

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

“Morning, boss,” Puck greeted as he shifted over on the booth, leaving enough room for Sue.

“Hummel, do you have something to say?” Sue asked casually without giving him a second glance as she stole a chair from the booth next to theirs to sit on at the end of the table. 

“I’m just confused by the text we got this morning, is all.” Kurt explained, watching Puck lean against an uncomfortable looking Emma to rest his legs on the empty part of the seat he had cleared for their boss.

“And what was confusing about it, Hummel?” She finally looked him in the eyes.

“You said there was a new reaper.”

“I said there was going to be a new addition to our group,” She clarified, or what she thought was clarifying. 

By then everyone at the booth was observing them, questions held in because they were used to the banter, just not the subject.

“So.  _Is_  there a new reaper?” Kurt asked, close to exasperated but willing to play Sue’s game a little longer.

“Not yet.”

That had everyone pausing.

“Sylvester, you  _know_  there’s going to be a new one?” Santana tried, giving in and asking.

Puck sat up, “Wait, but our group is... complete, right?”

“Does this mean...” Emma filled the silence.

“One of you is going to be moving on, yes. That’s how this whole reaper thing works.” Sue drawled. 

“You can’t know that. You’re not supposed to know that. You get post-its from Death, Shakespeare CliffNotes, not full texts.”

“Shut it, Hummel. Let her explain,” Puck leaned further forward. No one in the group had ever seen him this invested.

Because this meant that one of them had completed their task on earth. One person out of the five of them would be hanging up their metaphorical scythe and leaving their personal limbo.

No more helping other people’s souls move to the next stage of their life, no more leading the newly dead to their individualised Lights, Paradise, Door, Afterlife, whatever you want to call it.

Even if Kurt knew it couldn’t be him, both hope and dread still grew under his skin as he looked around the table. All of his “coworkers” had been doing this job for far longer than he had. They had all been waiting for years, decades for some, for the day they reached their quota. 

For the day they get their final post-it.

Because that was their duty on the earth, among the living. They got a post-it note with an initial, a last name, a place and an ETD, Estimated Time of Death. They helped the souls of those who just perished move on in a way they never got to, because they got hired by Death.

Of course, Kurt had only heard all this through Sue, because only she had contact with Death - or God or The Boss Grim Reaper, as Puck called it/Him - and even that was minimal. She got the info, she passed it on to the rest of them. One of whom, was going to be gone by the end of that day.

The realisation of that fact hit the table little by little. First came hope of being chosen, then came the usual fear that they saw in their proteges and finally the sadness, because stuck among the humans or not, they still had lives, they still had friends, they still had each other.

Emma was the one who broke their rapidly worsening mood with a few claps and the attention from the diner’s waitress, Tina, who came over to take their orders. Of course, only Puck and Emma had theirs ready.

After that, Sue made sure that business went on as usual. She gave out the post-its, two for Santana, one for the rest of them, paid her share of the bill for food she took to go and left without providing any more information.

“Well, I don’t know about you potatoes but I’m putting my money on my retirement,” Puck announced, leaning back to his usual position, much to Emma’s dismay.

“Please, dickwad, it’s going to be me,” Santana snapped, kicking Puck’s shin under the table making him knock the table, causing the container of sugar packets to tip over. 

Kurt and Mike tried not to laugh at how devastated Emma looked.

“I’ve been here the shortest amount of time, so I know it’s not me,” Kurt chipped in, watching as Puck tried to make a hut with the packets that Santana continuously ruined with a swift kick to the table’s leg.

“You never know,” Emma pipped up, “Brett was only with us for a month.”

“Stoner Brett?” Mike asked, he had been Brett’s replacement, or so they’d told him.

“So it could just be any one of us?” Santana sneered, like her dirty looks could lower all of their chances and boost hers.

“No, come on, it has to be me! I have been doing this stupid job for over twenty years. Do you have any idea how long of a wait that is? I mean, I’m young and hot so I c-”

“I’m sorry, were you talking? I tuned you out,” Santana sniffed, making a show of twirling her hair.

“Maybe Sylvester’s playing with us?” Mike shrugged, “She did that when Kurt joined last year. Testing us and all that.”

By the time the food was gone and the bill was paid, everyone had bets on who was going to the afterlife.

~-~-~

They all went their separate ways around nine, both for the first reap of the group, Emma’s, and their jobs. Since Puck made a living of stealing from the dead, literally, Sue usually made sure to give him the earliest reaps so he couldn’t bail. Not that time, for some reason, which was why Kurt had placed his bet on him.

Kurt headed back to his apartment, choosing to walk home instead of taking the subway. Even after a year, seeing his new appearance - the one the Living saw - was still unnerving and the metro at that time was empty enough to only have that reflection to stare at.

On the way through the chilly streets of New York, Kurt kept his mind clear of any thoughts about  _freedom_. 

He enjoyed what he did. From the people he met and, in the long run, helped, to the gorgeous apartment he “inherited” from one of his reaps to his part time job at the mattress store next door to his volunteer position at the elementary school’s library on the corner. 

He even loved the group of reapers he ended up with. Mike, Puck and him had gotten pretty close over the year and even Santana could be a delight, every once in a while. Emma mostly stayed clear of them unless she had to. Sue was a whole other story.

He had gone through his few months of grief and anger, where nothing seemed fair, where he only thought about how his life had been stolen from him, how he couldn’t go see his family, the one that thought he was dead. And he was, to them, he had to be.

It took less time than anyone in their group thought it would for him to adapt and deal. He got a job, he stopped crashing on Mike’s couch and got a whole new life up and running. He was a fighter and they all learned that pretty quickly.

By the time he had reached his apartment he had managed to defer thoughts of leaving the living for good about fifteen times. It was his day off all around and his reap wasn’t until four so he had to find a way to keep busy until then.

Mike and Puck were already at his apartment. They played Clue all day.

~-~-~

The location on his post-it was for a Flea Market in Hell’s Kitchen, he headed there a little earlier after having GoogleMapped it, jumping at the chance to peruse and shop.

Finding his reap in a public place was always harder but he was used to it by then. All reapers had their tricks and other than the one time he messed up during his first month, his record was faultless.

No matter what, he always got the soul before the person died.   

It ended up being quite easy, really. Through the stall registry that he borrowed from a man with a clipboard and a cheap suit, Kurt quickly found the name of his reap, Foldan, stall 47G, peaches and apricots. 

It turned out to be a simple ordeal, he bought a few peaches, talked for long enough to know he was in fact P.Foldan and made sure to touch his hand when they exchanged money.

With about two minutes to spare, Kurt settled on one of the benches, watching with barely-there interest as the market moved around him.

The alarm on his phone went off exactly three seconds before the ETD on his post-it. He looked up in time to see the cause of death make itself known as a piece of scaffolding from the building above the stalls broke off, taking the stand and Foldan’ life with it.

Kurt turned his head to greet the soul he had gotten before the accident. Foldan sat next to him, barely seeming affected by the sight of his own death as he smiled back at Kurt, swaying a little.

It wasn’t as rare as he had first been led to believe, the people who sort of just accepted their deaths, saw it as part of their path. Apparently learning that one’s time of death was keyed in on a list gave them peace of mind.

They were the easiest to deal with, of course, but every once in a while having a soul who still had something to do on the earth made things interesting. 

Foldan seemed like the calm this-will-be-over-in-ten-minutes kind. It ended up taking seven.

After watching the smiling man step into his Lights, a theme park, Kurt headed back home.

When he got there he expected to see Santana for their usual pre-weekend musical night. Instead he found his forgotten phone on the bed with numerous missed texts:

From Satan: “I am so bored this is bullshit why did my thing have to be in a suit shop?”

From Satan: “This is so boring. Nothing is happening and I got here way too early.”

From Satan: “Woman here with her children. I’m praying very hard that one of the brats is my reap.”

From Satan: “Damn, they’ve left. Goddammit. It’s all awful and stuffy and obnoxiously rich in here I’m starting to hope they are all my targets.”

From Satan: “Wait hold on there’s an old dude here, I think he’s who I’m looking for.”

From Satan: “Ah shit the dude has a son. I don’t know which one is B.”

From Satan: “The father calls his son Anderson goddammit, rich people I swear.”

From Satan: “Oh my, Hummel too bad you’re not here, baby Anderson is hot in a really your-type way.”

From Satan: “I would set you up but I just stole marble-man Anderson’s wallet and his name doesn’t start with a B. Shit.”

From Satan: “Two minutes until cutie near the bowties bites it. I don’t know what’s happening but I think I’m feeling some form of sadness?”

From Satan: “I still can’t figure out how he’s going to die. It’s a suit shop, there are no ways to die in a suit shop.”

From Satan: “Thirty seconds to go. I’m losing this bet, I can’t figure it out.”

From Satan: “Car!?”

Kurt frowned, there were no other texts and still no actual Sanatana on his doorstep with popcorn and margarita mix.

That night Kurt fell asleep with his phone tucked under his chin, just in case.

~-~-~

Forty minutes before his alarm rang the doorbell did, pulling him from one of the same few dreams he ever had anymore.

With a groan he attempted to almost roll all the way to the door, managing to pull it open without ever looking up. 

“No,” Was his greeting as he turned back towards his bed only to be pulled back by his collar. Sue.

“There, there, Hummel, you’ll get your beauty sleep later. I’m just here to make sure your place is in fact the biggest around.”

Kurt froze. 

“Why wo-”

“The person with the largest apartment gets newbie duty, that’s how you ended up on Chang’s couch when you first left the nest,” She stepped into his line of sight. “This time, it’s you. Congratulations, you have a new roommate.”

With that, she was gone. It took him thirty minutes to realise she had taken his spare key with her.

~-~-~

Their usual breakfast was somewhat of an unusual situation, the air in the diner was tense when Kurt walked in far too early. He could tell from how both Puck and Mike were already sitting at their booth and Emma wasn’t.

Kurt’s throat knotted quickly as he made his way towards their table, with the way Mike was looking at him, he was worried too. Emma was always there before them.

“Morning,” Kurt mumbled, grabbing the menu even though he knew everything that was on it. “Has anyone else come in yet?”

Puck didn’t have his feet up. Mike wasn’t fiddling with anything and Emma wasn’t there.

They didn’t answer, they didn’t have to. Kurt knew that one of them wouldn’t be at the table that morning but the reality of it left him cold.

None of them spoke; either to call Tina for food or even complain about the early hour.

At 7am on the dot Sue walked in. None of them looked up.

But then Emma slid in next to Puck right as Sue sat down at the head of the table.

Puck looked ready to scream, Mike’s expression was frozen in place and Kurt’s heart stopped.

“Santana,” He whispered. Everyone’s face fell.

Sue set down post-its in front of everyone except Kurt, and left.

“You get the freaked out new kid, I guess she thinks that’s enough to deal with in one day,” Mike mumbled, grabbing his yellow note and putting down some money for food no one ever ordered.

Puck took the money after Mike left and walked out without a word.

In the end, Kurt supposed he was the closest to Santana, but everyone in the group loved her despite her snarkiness. What they all hated was that she was replaced without a goodbye, like a pawn in a macabre game of chess.

Emma stared down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers as the hour passed. 

“I hate this,” Was all she said before she re-straightened the condiments display and stood up, pausing for a second before leaning down to give Kurt a half hug. “Good luck with the new reaper, remember how you felt when you first arrived. Don’t hate her or him too much despite who they sort of took from you.”

Kurt patted the sleeve covered part of her hand, smiling up at her as she left the diner.

His smile didn’t drop as he did what she said. When he had first joined the group he had been accepted and welcomed with open arms despite having replaced one of their own in the grand scheme of things. 

They had let him yell and freak out, Mike had held him while he cried during his first nights away from a family he could never talk to again, Puck had gotten him drunk, then tipsy, then a brand new alcohol tolerance, Santana had given him all the witty-to-angry banter he needed to blow off the remaining steam. 

They were his new family, they were the ones who made sure he was alright even though he represented a lost friend, a taken family member. 

His hatred of a system he could neither control nor understand took its place on the backburner of his mind as he walked back to his apartment, knowing a new family member was waiting for him there, lost in a new life he or she hadn’t asked for.

That was why he was surprised when he came home to an empty apartment. Well, not entirely empty.

At least half a dozen boxes were stacked up against one of the walls. Labeled boxes.

Kurt frowned, putting his keys down in their usual bowl by the door before going through every room, no one was there and nothing was out of place other than the boxes. 

That, and a note on Kurt’s blue note paper in the middle of the kitchen table. 

“Hello,

I don’t really know how to start this considering how unusual this whole ordeal is, although maybe this is just business as usual for you, I have no idea, but just so you know I am willing to do anything to make this as easy as possible for you. I’m so very sorry about the boxes, as soon as I get back maybe we can figure out where I could put my belongings? I do have a storage container rented out in case it’s any bother. 

I’m just dealing with a few details from my, well, past life I suppose. I will be home around 3. I was thinking of making dinner for the both of us? I wouldn’t know what you like but I would love to give back in some way for your hospitality. 

I look forward to meeting you,

B. Anderson.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips as he set the note back down. After grabbing his phone he walked straight back out, dialing Sue’s number.

“Hummel.”

“Hey, could you please give me the new reaper’s address? His old home, I mean.”

“All the info on his past life is already in your mailbox. Just in case he...”

“Went back?” Kurt asked, going down the stairs, jacket half on.

“Is that why you’re asking?” 

Kurt paused, not sure if rating out his new roomate was a good idea, “No, just making sure. Thanks, Boss.”

Slipping the right key into the mailbox, Kurt pulled out a purple file, unused to seeing one that wasn’t battered and stained by the many trips to the diner every time Sue pulled one of theirs out to comment on a past decision or write down their mistakes. 

Kurt hastily entered every address he could find into his phone before he headed out of the building, making a beeline for the subway station two steps away. He could afford to take it once in a while, when he had some reading material he didn’t have to stare at his distorted reflection. 

Not that he found his new appearance unattractive, quite the opposite, really, it was just slightly disturbing facing someone who wasn’t him, wasn’t what he grew up looking at. He loved his own face, seeing another still creeped him out.

The first address was what must have been the parent’s house. It was empty. 

The second address was a school in the center of Manhattan, Warblers, private, prestigious and known for three things: the Daltons, their a capella glee club, the snotty attitude and the best test scores in the country. 

Puck was going to love this, Kurt thought with a small smirk as he headed inside. 

Apparently there was a charity event going on but it was clear it had been cancelled the minute he stepped into one of the main rooms. It was a wake. The Anderson son’s wake, if the posters were any indication. 

Kurt remembered what Santana had been saying about her reap’s, his new roommates’, final moments before death. Suddenly the school, the perfect penmanship of his note and the labelled boxes made sense.

But something in the way he spoke, or wrote, gave away that he wasn’t the usual prep school trust fund baby and if the sight that greeted him when he made his way through what could only be described as a ballroom, he didn’t inherit it from his family.

The Andersons. The name was repeated more times than any other, Kurt couldn’t even locate B’s first name on the pamphlets and massive laminated familial resume’s for their wealth and accomplishments. 

Kurt hated every single person in that room. Dressed in a black as cold and expensive as their intentions, only there for an image they spend their lives perfecting. Artificial grief for the sake of expectations, death by marketing. 

That’s how Kurt found the newest addition to the world of the undead. 

He was sitting in the back of the room, his expression both hateful, miserable and judgmental. But it was the absolute sadness Kurt saw under it all that told him who he was. B. Anderson.

He was young, it was easy to see in the lines of face how little of any other world he had seen but Kurt could tell he wasn’t naive about the real one either. 

He was gorgeous in a timeless kind of way. Dark curly hair, freed from the helmet style present on every man in the room, intense eyes with shifting colors against the light of a chandelier, they were deep in a way that exposed emotions and projected stories.

His jaw was set, defining and deepening the lines of his cheeks and neck, the dips and shadows of his face reflecting what he was thinking but hiding it in a long-trained way all the same. 

It had taken Kurt a huge part of the last year to learn how to read people in the way he needed to. Now he prided himself on his profiling skills, of sorts. They were better than everyone in their little misfit family of reapers. Except Santana. And Sue.

Kurt slowly made his way towards B, finally locating a sign with his actual face on it and not just a reference to his last name and the glory behind it, on the way. 

B hadn’t noticed him yet, even as Kurt settled next to him on one of the tables set up for pamphlets about various charities and social events. 

“On a scale from respect to hatred, how do you feel about these people?” Kurt asked, fingers trailing over the perfect set up of paper bullshit he was sitting on, disrupting their order and sending a few leaflets to the floor.

His uninvited companion finally looked his way, shock registering in his gaze as he took Kurt in. Kurt smirked as he saw him swallow with wide eyes. 

“About an eight,” He responded after a moment, but there was something playful about his tone.

“How high is the count of people you wish you could punch?”

B snorted, “Maybe not punch, but at least walk all over their pristine furniture.”

“Without the plastic?”

“Without the plastic.”

Kurt was delighted to see him smiling, it looked wonderful on him, far more natural than the frown it replaced. 

“And to answer your question, at least four of them,” B explained.

“Only four?”

“Yeah, for the others, I can just...”

“Judge silently?” Kurt suggested.

B looked over at him, a small unintentional laugh spilling from his lips, “Sounds about right.”

“Did you know the, um, victim?” B asked after a moment.

Kurt paused. Coming out with it wouldn’t exactly freak B out considering how he was obviously dealing quite well, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face his new life full-on.

“Not really, no.” He didn’t know what else to say, anything else would either sound creepy, suspicious, fortune teller-ish or just plain insane. 

They stayed silent for a while, watching the wake go on around them, remaining utterly unnoticed.

“They only entertain the prestigious,” B said with a snort, almost as if reading Kurt’s mind, “Everyone else is part of the wallpaper.”

“I like being part of the wallpaper, gives me chance to spy on the higher ups and get dirt on them, bring them down to my level,” Kurt announced, smiling at B’s shocked face, “Not that I do this often.”

“Crashing wakes?” B nudged his shoulder.

“Ah. You know I didn’t know the... deceased.”

“Yeah, or else I would know you,” B deadpanned, realising a second later how that could have sounded. Kurt smiled to show him he was letting it go, not going to ask questions. 

“Let’s just say... I’m here for someone. To help them find their way back home. Their new home, that is.”

Maybe that had been too cryptic considering how weirdly he was being looked at.

Kurt laughed, “I’m, um, your new roommate,” He reached out a hand, “Kurt.”

B was staring at him in absolute shock, taking a few seconds before shaking the offered hand.

“Y-you’re Kurt. You’re a, ah, a reaper?” He whispered.

“Yep, in the flesh! I see the Boss told you about me.”

“Miss Sylvester? She gave me a key this morning and told me your name.”

“And what would yours be, roomie?” Kurt asked, voice low in case anyone heard them.

“Blaine.”

“Ah, so that’s what the B stands for,” Kurt laughed, glad to finally have a name for the face he was quickly getting attached to. He was really glad he could see Blaine’s real face and not the new copy everyone else could see.

“Am I in trouble?”

Kurt snorted, “No, we all went through the grieving period. Puck, one of the guys in our group, set fire to his own caskett. Or so I’m told, this was a few decades ago.”

Blaine looked so confused, it was adorable. 

“What do you say we leave these old rich snobs and get out of here?” Kurt suggested, nodding towards the exit.

“Yeah, sure, yeah that sounds good,” Blaine smiled back, letting Kurt take his hand with a slight rush of heat to his cheeks as they purposefully walked through the crowd.

They were too far away from the apartment so Kurt led them towards the subway station, only letting Blaine’s hand slip from his as they went through the turnstile. He ignored the way he wanted to grab it again seconds after.

“Did you come here by train?” Kurt couldn’t help but ask.

“What? Oh, no, by bus.”

They got on the train. It was that time between the morning rush and the lunch crowd where it was full with some breathing room, all the seats were taken.

Kurt watched Blaine, he didn’t know what he was expecting to see because obviously he already knew his appearance was different to the outside world but being faced with it was never easy.

The doors slid shut. Blaine froze.

Nothing else happened. He just stared at his reflection, taking a moment before meeting Kurt’s eyes. His reaction to Kurt’s alter-appearance was stronger than the one he’d had for his own.

“You...” Blaine started, mouth opening and closing around words he couldn’t pick.

“To you I look like what I did when I was alive,” Kurt shrugged, ignoring the weird look a woman was giving him. She was sitting down in the standing area during the final part of a rush hour, she had no right to judge. 

“...Alive? So you’r-we’re dead?” Blaine whispered, leaning closer as to not be overheard.

Kurt purposefully turned, his bag banging into the woman. 

“The term is undead. Well, it was ten years ago,” Kurt turned to the scoffing woman, “Sorry, no space at this time of day,” He spit out, she only smirked.

“So... do I have to change my name?” Blaine asked, biting his lower lip. Kurt tried to ignore the small swoop in his stomach at the sight, focusing on stepping closer into the woman’s space, trying to annoy her enough to stand up.

“Um, what? No, no, just your last name. First name can stay.”

“So your real name is Kurt?”

The woman finally huffed and stood up, pushing past Kurt to get to the door, making him stumble into Blaine. 

Kurt smiled down at Blaine, “Yep, Kurt,” He preened.

Blaine laughed a little, taking only the smallest step back even though he had space.

Turning his head, Blaine peered at their reflection, if he noticed how close they were he didn’t show it.

“So that’s what we look like to the outside world then,” He whispered.

Kurt knew from experience that it would hit him little by little. This was one of the pieces coming into place in his mind.

“You still look like you to me,” Kurt said, tearing his gaze away from the reflective glass and the dark blurry lines of the subway behind it. He gently grabbed onto Blaine’s sleeve, getting him to turn to look at him, “You’re still you.”

“Why do I feel like I’ve lost everything, then?” Blaine spoke so quietly his words were almost drowned out by the squeak and squeal of the train coming to a stop.

Kurt didn’t want to tell Blaine all the things he was told when he first felt that way, he didn’t want to repeat words that never really ended up being true like “it’s a new beginning”, or “You’ve gained something else”. 

“Give it some time. It might take a while, a lot of anger and sadness. You’ll be beyond pissed, but it does get easier and after some time you just... adapt.”

“Did you?” Blaine asked, eyes wet with held-in tears.

“I did. And then I didn’t have to adapt to a life that became my own. It’s a process, Blaine. But you’ll be fine.”

Blaine nodded, staying silent for a moment, “And what about, uh, what about the... job?”

“You won’t have to deal with that for a while, for the first week just focus on settling in.”

With a smile, the heaviness of the conversation dissipated, Kurt could see the tension in Blaine’s shoulders leave and he realised with a shock that it was the first time he seemed relaxed since they had met. 

“So, you said something about cooking me dinner?”

Blaine snorted, “I said I would cook  _us_ dinner. But yes, tonight I’m in charge of the meal.”

“A roommate that can cook, I can deal with that. Do you clean, too?”

Blaine pushed at his shoulder, making them almost fall when the train slowed down for the next stop. It was theirs.

“This is us. Do you want to get off here or continue the grieving adventure of creepiness?”

There was a small pause but Blaine nodded, letting himself be led onto the platform.

They walked back to the apartment debating making the effort to go to the store.

“Kurt, I’ve seen your fridge, there’s not enough in there to make a simple breakfast let alone dinner!”

“You’re exaggerating, rich boy, there’s plenty in there! I will have to teach you the ways of eating on a budget.”

“I went to college, I know all about the joys of cheap microwaveable-meals and powdered soup,” Blaine defended, his face scrunching up with the horrible memories.

“I didn’t know you had gone to college! So the baby face is a lie?” Kurt teased, smirk firmly in place as he punched in the code to get into the building, officially making him the winner of the store-or-no-store-war. 

“Yale,” Blaine said with a nod and an eyeroll. Kurt admired his ability to sass. “I thought you’d read my file. I’m disappointed in you.” 

“I had to go hunting for you first, I will study it in more detail tonight. Perhaps while you cook me a delicious meal of leftovers.” Kurt laughed as Blaine bumped into his side as they climbed the stairs. “Home sweet home!”

Kurt pushed the door open with a flourish before throwing the keys in their usual bowl. He watched with a smile as Blaine gently place his there as well.

“So Yale huh?” Kurt asked, taking a look in the fridge. There was barely anything in there but Kurt refused to admit defeat even as Blaine raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’ve seen my world. Don’t tell me that wouldn’t have been your guess.”

Kurt smiled, “Okay, ivy league. But why there? Why not-”

“Harvard?” Blaine filled in, expression carefully blank as he replaced Kurt in front of the fridge where he started digging for anything edible.

Kurt waited for him to clarify, pulling plates and silverware out from their rightful places. Places he should probably tell Blaine about, but that could wait.

“My father went to Harvard. He was still there when my mom got pregnant with my brother, but he still fooled around until he graduated. He thought his education excused all his mistakes and indiscretions.

“He was convinced his intelligence made him better than everyone. I refused to be like that. I know that Yale doesn’t really represent that, but in that society it was a big deal.”

Blaine turned to him, some small dose of worry in his eyes, like he was scared Kurt would take him for something he wasn’t.

“Four years of high school at Warblers could only lead to a certain number of paths. Proper ones, that is.”

“I get that,” Kurt said with a smile. “How did your parents react to that, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“They were really happy for me, they let it be my decision. Don’t get me wrong, my hatred of the elite doesn’t rest on my parents. They have their faults, my father especially, but they’ve always supported me.”

Kurt nodded, something lightening in his heart. “That’s really wonderful, Blaine.”

“Not what you expected, huh?” Blaine asked with a grin.

After a pause Kurt looked at him, “I feel like with you I should never expect anything. You are full of surprises, Blaine Anderson.”

“It’s a gift,” Blaine sing-songed, spinning around him to grab the plates where he mixed and matched various salad ingredients. Let it be said that Kurt might not have much in his kitchen but what’s there is healthy.

They settled at the bar where Kurt served them some wine, using the opportunity to tease Blaine about his age a little more.

Artichoke hearts, chorizo, roquette lettuce and goat cheese all randomly mixed together to form a surprisingly tasty salad.

“I hope you don’t expect the food to always be this good. This was an absolute accident,” Kurt warned with a smile as Blaine stared at him while chewing, making a show of how good it was.

They kept the conversation light, going back and forth between random facts about themselves and favorite things ranging from songs to perform in the shower to seasons. It was late by the time Kurt finally showed Blaine the spare room, his new bedroom, where they decided not to move everything into just yet.

It was with a sleepy grin and a small wave that Blaine headed to bed after all the dishes had been set to dry.

Later, as Kurt settled in his own bed with his eReader, he realised Blaine never even went through his box labeled “Sleep clothes + sweaters” to get anything to sleep in. Kurt snorted as he pictured Blaine’s awkward frustration at that.

Poor guy was going to have to sleep in his underwear. 

Oh.

Kurt groaned as the thought made his cheeks heat up. He smiled into the pillow at the warm feeling in his chest, the one he associated with something as silly and simple as a crush. Something he hadn’t had in a long time.

He usually hated the game of sexual tension and will-they-won’t-they. He had learned long ago that high school had just been a fluke, that sexuality was something he could have, a love and sex life. 

It had taken a while but through college he got to discover all that; dates, break-ups, one night stands that ended in friendships or relationships. 

After his demise, so to speak, he took the clean slate to heart. He let go of his dating past and awkward beginnings and made himself a new one. 

Something about starting over made it that much easier to try really dating, try finding someone he could see himself with for longer than the time of a fling. It was freeing, mildly terrifying but mostly freeing.

But now, with a grin on his face and an actual blush on his cheeks he was having the same feelings he had back at the end of high school and the start of college. The light-hearted glee of a crush, one he could cultivate and encourage or ignore. He had lived enough (24+1 years) that he could control those kinds of feelings.

He would control it. Because Blaine had quite literally just died and started his life over. Whether there could be something between them or not, Kurt would wait. 

For then, Blaine would only stay his roommate, hopefully his friend. Kurt will lend him a shoulder and a hand when needed and he would make sure his transition from living to undead went smoothly. That was his job and Kurt Hummel has never been anything less than professional. 

The rest could wait.

~-~-~

Kurt woke up two minutes before his alarm. 

The first thing that hit him as he laid there waiting for his phone to yell at him was that he couldn’t remember anything from the moment he fell asleep. He couldn’t remember anything from his dream.

After having the same few dreams for a year that was a shock to his system. 

He barely had any time to let worry cloud his mind as the smell of coffee reached his room.

Kurt smiled, rolling over to get his phone right as it started blasting some song he once loved before he set it as his alarm.

He caught sight of Blaine in the kitchen from his room’s doorway. He thanked his open-space apartment for the lovely view of his new roomate bustling around the kitchen making them some kind of breakfast.

Tilting his head, Kurt let thoughts of domesticity float away at the sight of Blaine’s bottom half. He was wearing workout shorts.

“Couldn’t find your pyjamas?” He asked, pretending not to notice Blaine startle with a squeak.

“Oh, hi, Kurt. Yeah, um, mislabeled boxes...”

“You did it this morning in the dark as to not wake me up, didn’t you?”

Kurt grinned as Blaine turned back to his toast with a grumble.

“Thank you,” Kurt whispered near Blaine’s ear, joining him in the kitchen and going straight for his favorite coffee mug. The biggest one.

They moved around the space in silence, exchanging tasks and working seamlessly around each other to get breakfast ready. It was lovely all the way until they both forgot about the burning bread in the toaster.

Kurt loved his apartment. It was spacious and the colors mixed perfectly with the light that came in through the huge bay window that covered the far wall. 

He loved the large open space he could work or lounge in and he loved the two tiny rooms in the corners, the only ones he had fully refurbished, turning one into his bedroom and the other into an office and guest-room. 

The architecture was tastefully simple, the furniture old yet practical without being pretentious. All he had had to add when he moved in were a few carpets Puck had “gifted” him from a store he’d reaped the owner of.

Kurt had reevaluated his sense of ethics long ago. After all, it was thanks to his calling he got the apartment in the first place. Had he not been there when the owner died by eating a poisoned banana he never would have been offered to keep it. Granted, it was still illegal and “his ghost said I could have it” wouldn’t hold much in court but until the police came barging in it was his home. Now it was Blaine’s as well.

He loved his apartment. What he didn’t love, though, was the sprinkler system.

Kurt groaned as he heard the telltale sounds of water rushing through the pipes above his head. He knew not to look up but didn’t have time to tell Blaine that as he curiously searched out the source of the sound. 

The alarm always started a good two seconds after the water, which had always confused Kurt. Another thing that still confused him to that day was that the water spray was either warm or even hot.

“Ah!”

Kurt blinked water drops out of eyes to fully see Blaine’s shocked and slightly horrified face. His hair was already starting to stick to his forehead, much faster than Kurt’s.

“The sprinklers are only in the kitchen,” Kurt yelled over the rush of water. “Your stuff is safe. But it does use up all the hot water, so if you want a shower this is your only chance!”

He said it jokingly but it was the truth. The few times Kurt had set the sprinklers off he had learned very quickly that no firefighter was going to show up, that he had to clean the water out himself and that it kept going until there was no more water in the tank.

It took him two months to understand that if he wanted his shower after burning something, he was going to have to utilize the faulty sprinkler system. He invested in some waterproof curtains for the part of the window that came up to the kitchen.

The look Blaine was given him told him he was going to be as difficult as Kurt first was when he moved in.

By then everything in the kitchen was soaked, including Blaine who seemed to be frozen in place, still staring disbelievingly at Kurt with an edge of confusion. 

Kurt grinned at him, passing a hand through his hair before heading to the window, dragging the curtain closed before carefully pulling his sleep shirt off with a smirk, even through the water he still heard Blaine’s gasped “um” and throat clearing.

As he stepped back into the kitchen area he noticed how focused Blaine’s eyes were on the counter where the remnants of what was going to be their breakfast remained. His hair was completely curled by then instead of being weighed down by water. 

With a small - albeit sarcastic - “tada” Kurt opened the cupboard in the corner containing his emergency supply of shower things. 

To be fair, he was mostly keeping it in there because there wasn’t enough storage space in the bathroom and he enjoyed buying things in bulk when there was a promo or sale, he just enjoyed the look of absolute shock and fear on Blaine’s face too much.

Kurt hid his smile as he watched Blaine go a little white at the realisation that he was probably going to have to _shower_  in the  _kitchen_.

“Blaine? I’m kidding. Not about the fact that the water supply is currently going down the drain but you don’t have to take a shower here. When this happens I go to Mike’s place, it has a nicer shower anyway.”

“Oh,” Was Blaine’s response. It delighted Kurt to see a small blush rising to his cheeks. “So you don’t take showers in your kitchen then?”

Kurt laughed, “I did, yeah. When I first moved in, before I knew the others well enough to ask to use their showers. You’d be surprised how often I set these things off.” He grumbled with a gesture towards the sprinklers.

With a shake of his head, Kurt quickly put everything that shouldn’t be in contact with water under the cupboards attached to the wall where they would stay dry. He pulled a soaking Blaine out from under the spray.

“Get your change of clothes ready and what you will need for today. We’re not meeting at the diner until 7 so we have time to get to Mike’s,” Kurt pushed Blaine towards his boxes. “I’ll get us some towels.”

Before Kurt got through the bathroom door, Blaine called out after him:

“Do you always plan extra time in case you burn your toast?”

Kurt snorted, “No, I just enjoy having time in the morning. If sometimes that time is used to crawl miserably and wet to Mike’s door then so be it. Now get going, we can’t be late, fire emergency aside.”

Ten minutes later, Blaine found him by the door, bag in hand and towel around his shoulders.

“How far is this guy’s place?” Was his question as Kurt locked the door.

“Um, it’s a five minute walk, barely. Why?”

“Cause I wanted to ask you a few questions about your sprinkler system there,” Blaine replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah, that. In my defense, it was like that when I got there. And it’s not like I can go ask the landlord why the hell the apartment has a separate water supply from the city...”

“Or why the water is hot?” Blaine asked with a laugh before frowning. “Wait, why can’t you ask the landlord? I mean if someone screwed up the piping you need to report it to get it fixed.”

Kurt bit his lip, knocking his hip into Blaine’s with a grin, “And how do you know so much about plumbing, mister ivy league?”

“I got bored easily when I was younger so I would watch the workers my mother hired endlessly to fix and redo things around the house.”

Kurt felt his face break out into a smile, “That’s adorable.”

“And that was a diversion tactic. Nice try.”

Kurt’s smile slipped into a pout, “Dammit.”

“I know every manipulation trick in the book. My family probably financed it.”

“Oh, yes, the prestigious Andersons and th-”

“Kurt. You’re doing it again.”

“Alright, alright! Fine!” Kurt put his hands up in defeat, recognizing a lost battle when he saw one, after teasing it a little. “Let’s just say I didn’t get that apartment by... typical means.”

“Typical?”

“Legal. It was technically given to me by a dead person?”

Blaine pulled at his arm to stop him, Kurt tried to point to Mike’s door which was two steps in front of them but the look of panic on Blaine’s face was enough to keep him quiet.

“You’re squatting? R-reapers  _squat_?”

“With permission from the owner!” He tried to defend with an attempt at a smile.

“ _Who is dead_!”

“I still pay rent, it might not exactly be my name on the lease but I’m still the one who puts the money under the door every month.”

“Hasn’t the landlord asked any questions? Like, I don’t know, where did you come from and why did I see my tenant’s face in the obits even though there’s still someone living in his apartment?”

Kurt grabbed onto Blaine’s flailing hands as they nervously reached for his hair.

“Blaine. Calm down. The guy is over 80 years old and lives on the first floor, we’ll never run into him and even if we did, it would be fine.”

“Why, do you have some dirt on him or something? Leverage? Discriminating information for later use? Like for blackmail! Or estor-”

“Blaine! We’re not... I’m not a criminal. We may take from the dead but only what is offered to us by people whom we help. This isn’t exactly a government paid job and finding a place to live in New York is hard enough when you have a full-time job. 

“We do the best we can with what we’ve got and I’m sorry this isn’t what you’re used to anymore and I’m sorry you got pulled into this against your will but we’re all in the same boat. You’re in my world now and if you want to survive without your trust-fund you’re going to have to deal with a little illegal activity.”

Blaine swallowed, apology loud in his expression and guilt visible in his stance.

“This isn’t about ethics, Blaine, this is about survival. Your moral code is admirable but when you die, it needs to be revisited because this isn’t the same world you lived in, you left that one behind the second you turned into a reaper.”

Kurt’s heart was pounding, he hated this. He hated having to give the speech he was given all those months ago, the one that broke his heart and made something in him go cold. 

It wasn’t sheepishness playing on Blaine’s expression anymore but sorrow. The one a human has when they realise just how much of a messed up situation they’re in. The one a person wears when they remember exactly what they’ve lost.

The one a reaper gets when they’re confronted with the reality that their life isn’t their’s anymore and that it belongs to someone else.

“But you have me. Soon you will meet the rest of our little ragtag gang and they will have your back. It’ll take some getting used to, as I said, but you’ll be fine. We’ll find you your own legal place soon en-”

“No,” Blaine interrupted, immediately trying to swallow down his outburst. “I, for now at least, I’m fine with staying at yours. I’m sorry I freaked out, I’ve just never done anything...”

“Illegal?” At Blaine’s nod Kurt smiled, “And you have no need to apologize, especially right now. I had never done anything illegal either until I stopped being Kurt Hummel.”

“Now why do I find that so easy to believe?” A voice asked from ahead of them.

“Good morning, Noah.” Kurt sighed with false annoyance.

“Mornin’, Angel!” Puck replied with a grin and a pat on the cheek.

Blaine stayed silent but Kurt could tell how desperate he was to ask about the exchange, more precisely the nickname.

“He calls me angel beca-”

“Because every time we do a reap together he gets asked if he’s a freakin’ angel,” Puck filled in. “I mean, fair enough, he does have that sweet, doe-eyed innocent look going on, but trust me, he can be a freak when it’s time.”

Puck wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk and Kurt tried not to laugh as Blaine blanched.

“Please, Puckerman, you wish,” Kurt turned to Blaine. “He only calls me that when I call him by his real first name; Noah.”

“Even though you shouldn’t since that person no longer walks this earth,” Puck argued, poking Kurt in the chest.

“That person stopped walking this earth decades ago and you brought this on yourself, I only know your full name, Noah Puckerman, because your file has been pulled out during breakfast more times than everyone else’s combined.”

Puck pushed at his shoulder but he was grinning and so was Kurt. Blaine look mildly terrified, especially as Puck turned towards him.

“So you must be the newbster. Contrary to what this walking halo told you, my name is Puck.”

“I’m Bl-” Blaine tried, reaching his hand forward to be shaken.

“Ah, ah, ah, newbmeister,” Puck pushed it away with a raised eyebrow. “Until you prove yourself as somewhat capable of filling Santana’s shoes, I don’t want to know your name.”

“Pu-” Kurt tried, throat tightening at the look of confusion and hurt on Blaine’s face.

“No. I get to be the one person in our group that acts immature and I’m damn well not going to waste it. I’m sure you’re a fine person, newbens, but right now you represent the departure of a friend and I have the right to give you shit for that for a couple of days.”

Blaine stayed silent while Kurt glared at Puck.

“This isn’t college, Puckerman, we’re not hazing the new kid. You don’t get to make him feel bad for something he can’t control. I know you loved Santana,” Kurt held his hand up before Puck could interrupt, “Shut up, I know you did, we all did. But  _Blaine_  here is one of us now and we’re family.”

“Family tease each other all the time,” Puck grumbled before heaving a dramatic sigh Santana would have been proud of and extending his hand for Blaine to shake.

The words “I’m sorry” were bubbling under the surface and Kurt was quite impressed Blaine managed to keep them in. Instead Blaine smiled, a genuine one as Puck gave him a nod.

Kurt rolled his eyes at Puck. “You are such a drama-queen,” He mumbled as he pulled Blaine towards Mike’s place. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Chang has the best coffee machine out of all of us and since today’s Tina’s day off there’s no way in hell I’m drinking the diner’s coffee. That replacement kid doesn’t know jackshit about making good battery acid.”

“Sam’s coffee making skills are fine and we don’t have time to steal Mike’s appliances, now.” He groaned seeing Mike walk out of his apartment with a confused smile thrown their way.

“Good morning?” He started before seeing Blaine. “Hey! You must be Blaine! Welcome to the dream job!”

Kurt smiled, this was why he wanted Blaine to meet Mike first, so he would get the welcome he deserved and needed. Hell, when Kurt first joined the ranks of the re-living Sue and Puck had been his welcome wagon.

Needless to say, it had been a rough initiation. Seeing Blaine’s shoulders finally drop a little and smile return without a tentative downward pull of his lips, that was what Kurt wanted for him.

He made sure to knock into Puck hard as they headed towards the diner after deciding they didn’t have time to go back. Puck only grinned, kissed his cheek sloppily and threw an arm around his shoulder as they walked.

Blaine was so engrossed in what Mike was saying about their neighborhood that it took him a good two minutes to notice what was going on behind him and Kurt saw the tensing in his jaw as Blaine turned forward.

Puck saw, too, if his huge shark-smile was anything to go by as he slowed Kurt down with a pull to his shoulder.

“Puc- What are you doing?” Kurt hissed, watching with furrowed eyebrows as Blaine kept walking despite having heard and obviously resisting the urge to turn around.

“Newbittle has the hots for you, Hummel.”

Kurt stared him down, “I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Puckerman.” He hissed back.

But he knew it was all teasing, he knew from the way Puck’s dangerous smile turned into a more fond one that this is was more about watching out for him than anything else.

“You like him,” Puck added, because apparently he’d sharpened his observation skills since the day before. 

Kurt couldn’t tell if he was irritated by this new development or proud.

“He just died and came back to a life where he has to deal with people like you, I don’t think a relationship is what he’s looking for at the moment, that’s probably the furthest thing from his mind right now.”

Puck smirked, “First of all, who said anything about a relationship? I was talking about boning the life out of each other. Giving him a little taste of the undead.”

“That’s disgusting, Noah.” Kurt responded with an eyeroll. He’d heard worse from him.

“And, Angel, I’m pretty sure your meat is the  _only_  thing on his mind right now considering he’s been standing still next to a lingerie store for the past few minutes, coincidentally the amount of time I’ve been talking to you.”

“Oh, big words coming from my freaking  _pimp_.” Kurt managed to keep his eyes locked on Puck, not willing to give in and look just yet. “Maybe he’s just into pretty underwear.”

“Or maybe he wants to get into your underwear,” Puck said with an almost proud looking smile. “And I could totally be a pimp. I would be an amazing pimp. Whatd’you say, Angel? Huh? You and me, we could start a business!”

Kurt gave him his most unimpressed eyebrow raise before using the out to turn to where Blaine was in fact standing in front of a lingerie store. His eyes were focused on the glass in front of him but Kurt had a pretty good idea that it wasn’t for the red number on display.

Mike was leaning against the wall next to the store, watching with an amused smile that only grew when Kurt and Puck headed towards them.

“Red’s your color,” Puck commented as he passed right by Blaine to join Mike at the front.

Blaine looked around, startled until he caught sight of what he was supposedly browsing. He blanched before turning wide eyes to Kurt, almost like he was hoping he’d find him looking another way or maybe far ahead of him.

“You might find this hard to believe, but you do get used to him after a while. A long, sometimes painful, sometimes funny, but mostly embarrassing, while. He’s a pig but he’s still... Puck.”

“I’m guessing it’ll take some time for me to understand that?” Blaine asked with a tentative smile, color starting to return to his features. Slightly pinker than usual.

Kurt smiled right back, grabbing onto Blaine’s elbow and pulling him forward to catch up with Mike and Puck. “Until then you’ve got me to protect you.”

By the time they got to the diner it was already 6:57am so they quickly made their way through the tables to find Emma at their usual booth. Kurt wondered if anyone else felt the slight pang of hurt at finding the table empty on the other side. Where Santana used to sit.

But then Emma smiled up all bright and sunshiny at Blaine and waved at him to sit down.

Blaine paused for a second, unsure eyes turning to Kurt like he didn’t know where or how to sit down. That’s when Puck squeezed by and dropped down on the seat opposite Emma where he pulled Blaine next to him, throwing an arm around his shoulders, barely noticing the look of mild horror on Blaine’s stunned face.

Kurt felt his lips turn up as he slid in after Mike so he could face Blaine, giving him a gentle, reassuring pat with his foot under the table.

Soon after, Sue walked in, barely sparing the new arrangement a glance as she pulled a chair up to the table to join them.

“Alright, monkeys, today is a light day. Not too many deaths on the books. Oh, how wonderful.”

Kurt kept his eyes on Blaine, gauging his reactions and Blaine’s frown and downward tilt of his mouth did not disappoint.

“Puckerman, Hummel, here are your post-its. Don’t screw up. Anderson, I would say welcome but that would involve caring. I hope Porcelain here is giving you all the welcoming you need.”

Puck snickered at that, earning himself a swift kick.

Kurt then turned to Sue, “Couldn’t someone else take mine? I was kind of hoping to sh-”

“Hummel, I like you and I’m sure Spectacular-Hair over here is wonderful but your pretty little name is on the list next to a person who is dying today. This is your job and it comes first, are we clear?”

Sue stared him down until he nodded. She got up, then, dropped the first post-it in front of Puck before leaning down to kiss Kurt on top of his head and sticking the second one to his shirt and walking out.

“Who knew the ice-queen had feelings,” Puck commented, frowning down at his yellow piece of paper. 

“She misses Santana as much as we do,” Mike added before reaching over to look at the sticky-note on Kurt’s shirt. “A. Adams. ETD: 6:19pm. Waldorf Astoria, wow.”

Puck whistled as Emma perked up.

“Oh, I love that place!”

“I could never afford to go there,” Kurt joined in, taking the note when Mike handed it back to him.

“Neither can I,” Emma clarified. “I just like to walk around their lobby.”

Everyone at the table stared at her.

“What?” She defended. “It’s a really nice hotel with a fantastic cleaning staff.”

Mike shook his head with a smile.

“So who do you think it is?” Puck asked with a smirk as he leaned forward to boop Emma’s nose much to her distress.

“Everyone at this table is terrible at that game. Santana was the only one who ever got it right,” Mike laughed when Puck smile turned upside down dramatically.

“I say we try, for her sake so she has something to laugh about wherever she is,” Kurt suggested, leaning forward. “Plus it’ll be good for Blaine here to see how we deal with all of this.”

“Why not. I put my bets on a drug deal gone wrong,” Puck chimed in, resting his elbows on the table and raising a challenging eyebrow at Kurt.

“It’s one of the fanciest hotels in New York,” Emma interrupted, scandalised.

“ _Exactly_.” Puck responded with a head tilt and an evil smirk.

Kurt hid a smile behind his hand as Mike took his turn:

“I say love affair gone wrong. A passionate battle ensues that leads to a tragic death and a broken heart.”

Everyone laughed and joined in, Emma with her bet on someone in the cleaning staff pushing a thief down the elevator shaft. The table went quiet before cracking up again.

“What say you, Hummel?” Mike asked him with a nod, all business. 

“I say... a pimp gets shot.”

Puck bursted out laughing, throwing his head back, startling the whole table.

Emma looked confused more than anything, “I honestly doubt something like that would happen in such a prestigious place.”

Kurt snorted. Puck kept laughing. The rest of them looked on, amused.

~-~-~

They stayed at their booth for three shift changes giving Puck the ridiculous opportunity to, in his opinion, prove Tina made the best coffee.

Puck left for his reap around noon, one that had led to no guesses or stories, and came back two hours before Kurt’s. So they all stayed.

They talked about Santana, they bitched about her and laughed and shared stories and terrified Blaine. They managed to order pretty much everything on the menu and mixed and matched every milkshake they served.

When 5pm rolled around Puck was trying to convince them to only pay for what they had ordered since the last shift change, claiming no one would know, but with a huff and a hard stare from Emma he got his share out of his wallet.

They all walked to Kurt’s reap together which rarely happened. But somehow, Kurt’s question to Blaine asking if he wanted to join him turned into a group invitation that everyone took up without really understanding why. 

It’s not that they didn’t enjoy each other’s company, but rather their job was something they didn’t go chasing and coming to someone else’s reap was never done unless they were newly part of the re-living world.

None of them said it, but it was all the effect of grief, or some form of it.

In the end, the heavy painful feeling Kurt had felt that morning never came back. The mood was light which he was glad for. He didn’t know if it was the acceptance stage already or simply their way of dealing with Santana’s departure.

“In Santana’s honor I say we should get a drink at the bar and then dash,” Puck announced as they walked into the hotel’s lobby.

Emma’s delighted face vanished in a second with a gasp at Puck’s suggestion.

Mike pulled her away before she could respond.

Left alone with Puck, Kurt turned to Blaine. “This is where you decide how much you want to see on your first second-hand reap. I haven’t had time to tell you what exactly happens so you need to chose whether you want to wait or see it... live.”

Blaine looked at him, almost like he was trying to find his answer in his eyes or the lines of his face. He felt lost; Kurt could understand that.

Puck seemed to catch onto that as well, “There’s also the watch-on solution; just you, me and a bench.”

Kurt couldn’t hold in his laugh at that which had Puck grinning at both him and Blaine.

“Um, I think for this one I’m gonna go with bench? Sidelines for now?”

Kurt nodded with a smile, “I did the same thing even after I knew everything that was going to happen. Most people don’t even pick bench, they pick “not yet”.”

So they joined Mike and Emma at the bar, they toasted to old memories and new things. They laughed at Blaine when he was carded when he asked for his second drink which ended up having to be lemonade because he didn’t have ID that wasn’t that one of a technically dead person.

“I’m 23, shut up!” He hissed with a small smile as Puck wheezed with laughter before promising to get him a fake ID for his new last name as soon as he came up with one.

They spent the remaining time before the reap trying to come up with a name.

At 6:00pm Kurt headed to the lobby. He was surprised to find Blaine behind him.

“I’m still benching this one, but I wanted to stay... well, close. Until it happens,” Blaine explained, swallowing. “Is the time precise?”

“Always.”

Blaine looked around before meeting Kurt’s eyes, tilting his head. “What happens now?”

“Now we find A. Adams. Watch and learn, young one.”

Blaine snorted before he could pretend to look offended, giving Kurt an eyeroll for good measure. 

With Blaine’s gaze on him, Kurt headed to the front desks. He had checked when they came in, looking for who he was going to approach.

There was a guy, third desk from the entrance. Young, bright eyed and gullible from what Kurt could tell. He was getting very good as finding the easier ones, the employees he could charm into giving him whatever he needed.

As expected, it took less than five minutes. A.Adams was an employee, working in the kitchens, in charge of bringing up the wine to the bar. Kurt thanked the boy at the desk and headed back towards Blaine, pulling him out of sight and closer to the kitchen doors.

“How would you have done that if you couldn’t use flirting?” Blaine asked once they were standing still.

Kurt narrowed his eyes, “Are you jealous, Blaine?”

Blaine averted his gaze, looking towards the front desk before meeting Kurt’s again.

“I just need to know how... this works. How you would do this had there not been that guy.”

“If you must know, it didn’t take flirting. It took knowing what to look for and talk about,” Kurt explained. “In this case it was dancing.”

The frown on Blaine’s face and the question obvious on his mind was adorable. “You dance?”

Kurt raised an eyebrow, a half smile forming at Blaine’s desperate attempt at a blank stare.

“I have danced enough to know how to talk about it. Enough not to lie. Enough to get what I needed.” Kurt enjoyed being cryptic.

Puck picked that moment to interrupt, “Gentlemen, it’s show time.”

Kurt watched Blaine get pulled away and settled at the bar before turning his attention towards the kitchen door. Normally he would sneak in and get the soul before he left the kitchen but this had somehow turned into a sort of show.

It was 6:16 when an employee left the kitchen, giving Kurt the perfect angle to see his name-tag; Azimio Adams.

As he walked by, crates of wine in arm, Kurt stepped by him. All that was needed was the tiniest bit of contact, the graze of a shirt sleeve was enough. Adams frowned at him, nose scrunching with something as he turned back towards the bar.

Kurt met Blaine’s curious gaze and smiled with a small nod.

Now all they had to do was wait.

Exactly three minutes later Azimio came back out of the kitchen with more wine. He dropped.

And that was it.

He fell to the floor, wine crashing everywhere.

Despite what he knew he should do, Kurt looked to Blaine first instead of Azimio who was now standing at his side. Blaine was obviously in shock, eyes following the pool of red wine covering the floor as people flocked to Adams’ body, checking on him.

It was a simple, quick death. Aneurysm, Kurt’s mind supplied, but the dramatics of it were probably what got to Blaine. Seeing someone drop dead is never easy, especially when it’s your first, and sometimes it’s harder to watch then a huge spectacle of a death.

This was actually pretty far up there, spectacle wise.

Finally, Kurt turned to Azimio who hadn’t said a single word yet.

“Welcome to part two,” He told him, earning himself a confused yet offended look. 

“Who the hell are you?” Adams asked, lips turning downward into a snarl.

Kurt breathed, glancing down to where the wine puddle was about to reach him. Then to Blaine who was pale and wide-eyed; Mike’s arm around his shoulder and Puck in front of him, trying to get him to take the drink in his hand. Probably booze.

“I’m the person who’s going to help you move on,” Kurt supplied, sticking to the handbook Sue had invented off the top of her head months ago when Kurt had asked for one.

“I ain’t going anywhere with you,” Azimio responded, walking towards someone who Kurt assumed was one of his co-workers, trying to get his attention.

“I’m the only one who can see you.”

When Adams started yelling at the man who was trying to wake his lifeless body he added, “And hear you.”

Azimio turned to him, furious. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about! Shut up, fairy!”

Kurt rolled his eyes. An angry soul, great. His gaze landed on movement going on at the bar where Blaine had stood up from his stool, brow furrowed and Mike was holding Puck back.

“Look, this is going to go one of two ways, either you suck it up and come with me or I leave you here to rot on an earth you will never be able to touch again. You are dead. You died. You are no longer living. That, over there,” He pointed to the centre of commotion, “Is your body.”

Adams just looked at him, confusion and fear fighting anger in his features. 

There was only one way to deal with the angry souls, it had taken Kurt a lot of tries to understand that. There was no arguing with them, no bargaining. It was a matter of shocking them into allowing what had to be done and most of the time it took harsh words.

They had all talked about it once, two months after Kurt had left his old life behind, two weeks after his first solo reap, two hours after his first angry soul. They had gotten him drunk and they had all told their tales of woe from dealing with the assholes and loudmouths. 

Surprisingly, Santana had been the one who couldn’t handle them. She hated having to deal with them because pure anger was harder to channel than disbelief or snarkiness. 

Everyone had their buttons that needed to be pushed to get them to understand what was happening, what had to happen, but the angry ones lost sight of the general picture which made things difficult.

Puck was into intimidation, Mike was into reasoning, Emma was into patronizing and Kurt was into ultimatums, which was a technique he got from Sue.

So that’s what he did, he gave Azimio his ultimatum but the stakes were higher because this wasn’t someone who wanted to deal with Kurt, let alone death.

But Adams deflated, his sneer was still there and the tenseness in his body stayed but he stopped yelling. 

That’s all it took.

The Lights appeared behind them, slowly growing big enough to fill the hotel entrance while taking form. It was a football field and Kurt watched as Azimio stepped forward, reaching out to touch the glowing span of Lights.

“They’re yours,” Kurt said, because his reap had gone silent and he wanted this to be over. “Walk into them.”

“Is this a trap?” Azimio asked, making Kurt roll his eyes. But he still walked in, crossing the field settled above the lobby floor.

Kurt turned around as the Lights vanished; Blaine looked shell-shocked, Puck looked impressed and Mike was calming Emma whose shoes were stained with wine.

“I had my doubts but you pulled it off, Hummel.” Puck saluted as Kurt walked back to them.

Before he could respond he found himself with an armful of Blaine. It was sudden, causing him to stagger back but he wrapped his arms around Blaine’s waist automatically to keep them standing.

“That was incredible,” He heard him mumble into his shirt.

Kurt tightened his arms a little, frowning. “I pretty much emotionally blackmailed him into walking through some lights.”

“You were forced to deal with... with an asshole and you still did it, and you still helped him even though you could have walked away... that was amazing, Kurt.”

Blaine chose then to lean back which is when Kurt noticed their little gang was no longer there. They were probably still watching, but from a distance to give them a semblance of privacy. Well, as much privacy as you can get with a death and the chaos attached to it nearby.

“How are you holding up?” Kurt asked, changing the subject.

“It was... intense, to say the least. Somewhat terrifying but also exhilarating? While it was all happening Mike told me exactly what was going on and somehow that made it okay? Knowing that this wasn’t some cruel twist of fate, that it was, not planned exactly, but supposed to happen. I don’t know, it made it better. It made it magical.”

Kurt smiled, Blaine was already having realisations that hadn’t hit Kurt until his second month, at least. The unfairness of his own premature death followed by that of dozens of others, some which he took away, it took a long time to feel right.

“You are more mature than your age suggests, Blaine Anderson.”

“I take offense to that. And you’re pretty much the same age as me so unless we’re the two only exceptions to the rule...”

“Match made in heaven,” Kurt teased, knowing exactly how it sounded and just how red Blaine’s ears would get.

He wondered when it had happened, when he had catalogued Blaine’s blushes and just how to obtain then. Puck would be proud.

In fact, looking up, Kurt saw that Puck  _was_  proud because of course he was listening in.

~-~-~

That night Blaine fell asleep in front of the tv while Kurt prepared dinner, one they did stop by the store to plan. 

Kurt watched for any signs of distress in the way he slept, any lingering effects he didn’t tell Kurt about but he found none. Blaine dozed peacefully and awoke with a smile when Kurt gently shook him awake for dinner.

They ate watching  _Gilmore Girls_  reruns until Blaine muted the television and turned to Kurt.

“When will I have to start... reaping?” He asked, frown creasing between his eyebrows. 

“When your name appears on Sue’s list,” Kurt responded, a half-smile forming as Blaine’s frown increased. “Sorry, that’s what Sue told me the first time I asked her. Death, our big boss with the big list, will decide when it’s time, we can’t know when that’ll be.”

Blaine stayed silent for a moment, staring down at his hands in contemplation. “Can you tell me more about all this?” He finally asked.

“Of course. Most of it you’ll have to figure out for yourself when you’re on the job, but I can tell you the rest. Like Sue’s “unofficial rules of not getting your ass handed to you”,” Kurt started with a grin as Blaine looked up at him with a confused smile. “Oh, yes, I’m serious.”

“Reaps are not transferable, you can’t pawn them off to anyone else. We all joke about it and pretend like we can but we know that a post-it is for one person and only that person can take the soul. Another rule is that you can’t save anyone. This is the most important one and you need to know that even though there’s a huge chance you will try at least once in your career to save someone, you can’t.”

“What, um, what happens if I do, say, try and save a person? What if I just... don’t take their soul and keep them safe?”

“One of two things will happen, and consider yourself lucky that I’m telling you this because no one told me, it was all vague threats and unsaid horrendous consequences. Either you fail and your reap dies with their soul still inside their body where it will be trapped and forced to experience their death and whatever comes after; autopsy, funeral, burial, cremation, whatever happens to it. They will suffer and they will be stuck.

“The second possibility is that you do manage to save the person on the list, but the ripple of your action takes other lives. This goes without saying but don’t mess with Death.”

Blaine never once took his eyes off of him and spoke after a beat of silence, “Have you ever tried to save someone?”

“Yes. A friend of mine from my life before, she was supposed to get shot but I stopped the guy before he could pull the trigger. Someone else died in her place, someone I didn’t know but still mourned for longer than I did for my own death.”

“I’m so sorry. How did... what did Sue do, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Kurt turned towards him, “Nothing. She knew that the guilt would forever be enough of a punishment. I never did anything like that again. When Mike’s dad’s name appeared on my post-it I did my job, I took his soul and I was honest with Mike when he asked. I thought I would lose him as a friend but it brought us closer.”

They stayed quiet for a while before Kurt spoke up again. “May I ask you something, now?”

“Of course,” Blaine answered immediately. “Anything.”

“You saw Santana go to the afterlife... what did her Lights look like?” He asked, bracing himself for a pain in his chest that never came. He smiled.

“Well, I was a little bit confused by what in the hell was happening but I do remember that; it was a dance studio. There were people in the background dancing but at the front, there was a girl. She was blond and beautiful and... grinning. Before she stepped in, Santana said her name, I think it was...”

“Brittany.” Kurt filled in, his smile getting bigger. “Santana talked about her all the time, her first love, one she lost a very long time ago. Santana was already a reaper back then but Brittany somehow saw her true form, she knew and loved her for it. I was never told what happened but given the unnatural circumstances of her death I know that whoever reaped Brit was part of Santana’s group. That’s when Sue took her in into hers.”

“Oh, that’s terrible... If it’s any consolation she looked beautifully happy. It was quite a sight, made taking her place that much easier.”

Kurt sighed, both with relief and remorse. He knew he couldn’t have known or been there but he hated not having gotten a proper goodbye. None of them did. But knowing how it had gone made it better, easier. 

Santana was free; free from saving the souls they could never follow, free from a life she would have given up in a heartbeat to be reunited with the one person she ever truly loved, both in her first and second life.

He liked to believe she was finally getting eternity with Brittany. It left him warm and hopeful. For him, for them as reapers. Maybe even for Blaine and himself.

Kurt went to bed that night without the weight that had been pressing on his shoulders and his mind for the first time in a while.

Of course, it was back before he could even fall asleep.

~-~-~

It was with a call at 11pm telling Kurt to get to the diner right away. It was with a lump in his throat that he awoke Blaine with a thermos already filled with coffee and no explanation for when Blaine asked. 

He didn’t get one himself until they got to the diner. They were all there in various states of undress and wakefulness. 

No one ordered anything other than coffee until Sue arrived and after she did no one had the appetite for anything anymore.

“We’re all on the same job today. Three names, same time, same address. There’s going to be an accident.”

The place on the post-its was a street corner, unspecific which meant it was going to be either a car accident or...

“The subway passes right under there,” Emma whispered, staring down at the small pile of yellow sticky-papers at the center of the table.

Sue nodded before getting up, “We’ve got a train to catch.”

Thanks to Sue’s contacts in the city they found out which train it would be before midnight, a little under two hours before the ETD. They made sure to all be at the first stop of the subway.

No one said it aloud but they all knew how difficult it was going to be. Next to impossible.

The fact that Sue was doing it with them confirmed it.

“I’m going to give you all tasks but I need you to know something: we might not win this one. I need you all to be prepared for that possibility. Today you’re allowed to fuck up.”

Kurt’s blood ran cold, his heart was pounding in his ears as Sue told Emma to stay at the station before the address on the post-its, where they were all supposed to get off no matter what. Mike, Puck, Kurt, Blaine and herself to take all the wagons.

They were under strict instructions to keep in touch by text throughout the night.

That’s how they found out as they settled in their two assigned subway cars that one of the future victims was found.

Kurt was about to start asking everyone’s names when Sue’s voice crackled over the loudspeakers, asking anyone by the names of W. Shuester and H. Bernard to raise their hands.

“Oh, god,” Blaine whispered but someone in their wagon had raised their hand and Kurt didn’t have time to check on him before he headed over to the man with his arm in the air with a confused look on his face.

“Mister Bernard? Are you the man who owns the music forum of Venice?” Kurt asked, coming up with anything to get him to confirm he was the second victim. “H. Bernard?”

“Uh, I’m Howard, yeah but I don’t own anything in Venice?” The man answered, looking lost.

“My apologies,” Kurt said, patting the man on the arm before turning away. “Have a nice day!”

He reached for his phone to text everyone right as it vibrated in his pocket. Puck had found Shuester. His soul was safe. Relief flooded over Kurt as he went to find Blaine.

Blaine who was looking down at his phone with tears in his eyes before bolting through the train’s door towards where Puck was.

Kurt didn’t think, he ran after him, heart in his throat as he realised what Blaine’s “Oh god” had meant.

“Blaine!” He yelled when he caught up with him, grabbing onto his elbow. But they were already in Puck’s assigned car and Blaine had stopped dead in his track which meant only one thing.

“Mister Shue,” Kurt heard him whisper, thankfully not loud enough to attract the man in question’s attention.

Puck had seen them though, frowning questioningly at them before heading over.

“What are you doing? I have mine, there’s still one to find.”

Kurt swallowed before shaking his head, “No, no, we got Bernard. I just haven’t texted yet. But...”

Blaine looked like we was about to be sick, he was swaying on his feet, barely countering the movement of the train.

“Blaine, buddy, are you alright?”

“He saved me,” Was all they got before Blaine collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologise for the cliffhanger, I've been told if it feels evil it's the right thing to do. This fic is already complete so there won't be a long wait for the rest, I just need to do a little more editing and tweaking. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kurt wondered briefly if that was what love was."
> 
>  
> 
> This is a Dead Like Me Au, you can read this without having seen the show, just know that it’s a modern day grim reaper story with a twist. The twist is that there’s a happy ending.

“He saved me,” Was all they got before Blaine collapsed.

Kurt was fast enough to catch him before he crashed to the ground but they had attracted a lot of attention.

“Puck,” Kurt hissed, settling down on the floor with Blaine in his arms. “This train cannot stop, make sure no one alerts anyone!”

Puck stood up immediately from where he was kneeling next to them, putting his arms up. “Everything is alright, folks! Our friend here does this every time he takes the train, no need to worry!”

Kurt watched, breath caught in his throat as the man apparently named Shuester turned towards them, looking worriedly down at a passed out Blaine. 

Kurt knew that he wouldn’t recognize Blaine but he still felt panic grip his throat until Shuester nodded at him in concern, concern that wasn’t for someone he knew.

He didn’t recognize him. Kurt breathed out a sigh of relief, letting his head fall against Blaine’s. “You’re okay, it’s okay, you’ll be fine,” He whispered against his forehead.

It was easy enough to ignore the sting in his eyes as he texted everyone that all the souls had been found. 

When they pulled up to their stop, Puck insisted that he would carry Blaine off, claiming that Kurt looked too shaken, or in his words, “Like a twig about to crack”.

So he let Puck lift Blaine out of his arms and he ignored the tears that blurred his vision as he followed. His heart stopped when Shuester gently grabbed his wrist on the way out, giving him an encouraging, sweet smile before letting go.

Emma was waiting for them at the station, she ran up to them with a huge smile and a “We did it!” before her face grumbled when she saw first Kurt then Puck and Blaine.

Mike followed soon after, stepping off the train right as the alarm rang and the doors slid shut.

“What happened?” He asked, looking straight to Kurt.

Kurt tried to answer but his throat was locked tight.

“Blaine here knew one of the vics. Shuester.”

Mike whistled lowly with a sympathetic wince towards Blaine, then Kurt.

Kurt would wonder why everyone seemed just as worried for him but the fact that he was crying answered his question for him.

There were still two minutes on the clock so he settled against the wall, slipping down to the ground against his better judgment. It was the New York underground system after all but at that moment he didn’t care.

Puck smiled sadly down at him before putting Blaine next to him who was starting to come to.

Kurt crawled in front of him, for some reason he felt like he needed to be the first person Blaine saw when he woke up.

“Hey, you.” He tried, voice shot, leaving it gravely and raw. “You gave us a scare, there.”

Blaine closed his eyes again, “What time is it?”

Kurt knew that wasn’t what he was asking. “A little under two minutes until the ETD.”

“Mister Shue, he was my counselor at an LGBT centre I joined a few years back. He’s a history teacher, or spanish I don’t remember, at a public school that had a few incidents that made him want to change something, to help.

“I was in private school back then, at Warblers, but it wasn’t going well. Shue’s the one who told me about the Dalton’s, the school’s choir. He’s the one who fought the board to have a no tolerance bullying policy be put in place. He...”

Blaine stopped right as the whole station went dark.

“He saved me.”

They couldn’t see but they heard. The sudden panic in the air as the train lost its power half a stop away, the squeal of the emergency breaks put in place in case of an outage. The sound was loud and violent, even from where they were.

Kurt almost burst into tears when silence reached them and Shuester was suddenly standing there in front of them as the red tinted emergency lights came on.

It was Puck’s job to take Shuester on and Kurt’s to take Bernard but with a wink, Puck swapped their charges and lead Bernard a little ways away. They’d gotten their respective souls, it wasn’t against the rules.

Kurt got up on shaky legs, helping Blaine up as well before wrapping an arm around his waist, just in case.

But Blaine was smiling, it was a teary one, but still.

He didn’t say anything as Kurt asked Shuester all the usual questions: did he know what was happening, did he understand what needed to happen and finally was there anything he wanted to do before leaving for the afterlife.

Shue looked taken aback, grateful but shocked. “Oh, um. Well there are a few students I would have loved to catch up with. One in particular, Blaine Anderson. I would have wanted to make sure the kid was okay but he, well, he passed away a few days ago.”

“Is that why you came into the city?” Blaine asked from Kurt’s side, voice tight but controlled. Practice, Kurt thought.

“That was one of the reasons, yes. But I also have to meet with the school board. I won’t bore you with details,” Shue waved a hand around, dismissing it with a laugh.

“Please... please do,” Blaine whispered, something like relief in his eyes, behind the sadness.

“Well, I’m trying, or I was trying to get schools to put in place policies against bullying. I managed to get through to a few private school but so far no luck on the public ones. I was hoping if I could get New York behind it, it would be considered elsewhere.”

“That’s amazing,” Kurt said softly when Blaine went quiet next to him. Kurt squeezed his waist a little.

“I also was supposed to have lunch with my ex-step-sister and her loud family, so, this is actually pretty convenient,” Shue added with a laugh. “Greatest excuse ever. She always gave me shit about being dramatic, well, there you go!”

Kurt couldn’t help but laugh at that and when he looked over even Blaine was smiling.

Over on the side they turned when Lights appeared for Bernard, a sawmill from what Kurt could see. The man seemed ecstatic when he stepped in, waving goodbye.

“Is that I’m gonna be walking through?”

“Not the exact same one, no. But that’s the general idea.” Kurt responded.

“Something a little like that?” He heard Shue ask and when he turned back to him there were already Lights behind them; a choir room. One that reminded Kurt of the room he used to hide out in when he was in high school, it was always empty, only serving for detention whenever the main room was full. It had been his home at that school he hated so very much, he never understood why.

They watched on as Shue tentatively took one step into the room of Light.

He sent them one final grin and a salute before dancing into the room with a laugh.

Blaine let out a snort. 

“Just so you know,” Puck said from behind them. “They’re rarely that easy.”

It’s said with a smile but the truth behind the statement is clear. 

“Emma having issues with hers?” Kurt asked, right as the main lights came back on.

They ended up staying to help her with her loud, angry soul that refused to leave the world of the living unless she saw and said goodbye to every single one of her family members. 

It took a lot of convincing to get her to back down and stay calm long enough for her Lights to appear.

Blaine was gone by the time it was all over; that’s how Kurt knew something was very very wrong.

He came home to a dark apartment but it wasn’t empty, Blaine was standing in the middle of the room, eyes on the dark city behind the glass.

He must have been home for at least twenty minutes but his chest was still heaving, he was still shaking, Kurt could see it from where he was standing by the kitchen.

“Bla-”

“Why? Why did this happen? How could this happen!” Blaine yelled, turning towards Kurt like he had all the answers.

“I have no idea, Blaine.”

“Does anyone know? Does anyone even question this? Because this, Kurt, this is fucking bullshit! This shouldn’t be happening! How the fuck is it in any way fair that he’s dead? He was a good person which is more than I can say for the rest of the people at that school!”

Kurt took a few steps closer, he knew there wasn’t anything he could do but he couldn’t just stand in the sidelines and watch Blaine fall apart.

“I know,” He tried, but he was lying. He had had his moment of pure rage towards the fairness of death when a child had died and he was in charge of the young soul. One that didn’t understand what was happening whereas Kurt could. It broke him, and now the same thing was breaking Blaine.

“He shouldn’t be dead. No one should die like that, not when they lived such an amazing life. Why was his life taken? Why not someone else’s? Why not  _mine_?”

Kurt froze. “You can’t say that. Don’t you dare sa-”

“Why not? Why was I brought back? What the hell do I have to offer the world? He could have continued his life, been a reaper instead of me. He’s worth saving!”

“So are you!” Kurt yelled, voice matching Blaine’s as he stepped in front of him. “Your life is worth just as much as his I don’t care what you think. You’re as good a person as him so don’t you fucking dare say you’re worthless!”

He was fuming, his heart was pounding because Blaine couldn’t see himself that way.

“Kurt...”

“He’s dead and it’s horrible and painful and it shouldn’t have happened but you’re here and you’re alive and you were given this... second opportunity, whatever, and you’re worth that. Blaine,” He croaked, voice on the edge of broken. “Please believe me, please know that.”

Blaine stepped up to him, gripping his hands that were raised between them. He pressed his lips against them, face open and pained. “I’m sorry. Kurt, I’m so sorry.”

Kurt deflated. “Don’t... don’t apologize, not for this, not to me.”

He didn’t realise he was close to crying until he felt Blaine’s thumb wipe away a tear before it could fall. “I won’t,” Blaine promised, curling a hand around his neck before pulling him in, letting him wrap his arms around his shoulders as he held him tight. “I won’t.”

They stayed like that until the knots in Kurt’s throat and stomach went away, until his vision was clear of blurriness and until his hand stopped shaking where they were gripping Blaine’s sweater.

When Blaine finally leaned back his eyes were rimmed red and teary, it broke Kurt all over again. He brought his hands up to cup Blaine’s face, taking his turn to wipe away tears. 

He wasn’t fast enough, though, and he watched as one slid down his face, down to the bow of lips where he pressed a kiss to catch it, on the corner of Blaine’s mouth. He felt it open a little in shock and he closed his eyes before pressing one there as well.

Blaine breathed in through his nose, his hands going lax against Kurt as he leaned the slightest bit forward. It was short and Kurt never gave Blaine the time to kiss back before he leaned away.

“We have to get ready to go,” Kurt murmured, clearing his throat. He wondered if Blaine’s lips had always been that red.

“What?” Blaine asked, shaking his head as Kurt stepped back, letting his hands drop from Blaine’s face under the guise of getting his phone out of his pocket.

“It’s 6:40am, we have to head to the diner. The sun kind of, um, rose while we were... talking.”

Blaine smiled crookedly at him, raising an eyebrow.

The trip to the diner was silent but not awkward. Even when the bus they took was so crowded with the morning traffic that they were pressed against each other, Blaine just rested his forehead against Kurt’s shoulder and Kurt kept a gentle hold on Blaine’s wrist. 

Whether it was to make sure he stayed close or to check on his pulse or even just to make sure he was still warm, alive, real, he didn’t know but it felt nice, having the reassurance of all of them.

Kurt wondered briefly if that was what love was.

Everyone was already at the diner by the time they arrived, Sue included. Everyone looked as shitty as they felt and given the night before they had to deal with an all-hands-on-deck reap that took three lives, one which one of theirs knew personally, they looked bad.

As Kurt sat down he saw Blaine go talk to Tina. He couldn’t hear what he said but by then Sue was already pulling his attention.

“Alright, minions, no reaps today. Everyone gets a day off. I can be wrong but I’m pretty sure the Big Boss pawned off our reaps to another team.”

Blaine sat down, then, frowning. “There are other teams?”

Sue nodded, but she didn’t elaborate so Emma stepped in.

“It changes all the time, but at the moment there are about three teams per type of death. I don’t remember the specifics but there are the natural ones like old age, illnesses, and finally second party deaths and accidents, that’s us. But there are different categories within those.”

“We’re a... branch? We’re a death branch?” Blaine asked, looking like he didn’t know whether to laugh or curl in a ball.

“That’s... Yeah, that’s about right.” Emma responded with the shadow of a smile.

Then Puck snorted. Then he burst out laughing. Everyone at the table joined in.

“We’re a freaking branch of grim reapers, what the fuck!” He wheezed out.

Tina came to their table then, hands holding huge plates of pancakes with every topping possible. She put them down in the middle of the table with a smile. She had understood a long time ago that there was no point asking.

Blaine grinned up at her with a small thankful nod which Kurt caught. Blaine’s eyes met his and Kurt smiled, scrunching up his face to show his appreciation, or something.

Everyone dug into the breakfast, mood lighter and volume loud.

Under the table Kurt knocked his knee into Blaine’s.

“Okay, dipshits, yesterday was rough, I say we put it behind us. Help little Blainewbie here get his head back on his shoulders and what better way to do that is there than getting shit-faced drunk?” Puck announced, giving everyone a meaningful look. “Tonight, my friends, we drink, we dance, we forget everything. Our gloomy career and everything that comes with it. You in?”

Every single person at the table shook their head with a laugh before nodding. Except Sue. Sue just got up and walked out with a slap to the back of Puck’s head but Kurt caught a glimpse of her half smile as she left the diner.

And so they waited until it was at least noon and they went dancing. Blaine happily got to use his fake ID. Shiny, new and illegal. The name  _Blaine Williams_  and Kurt’s address in legitimate looking black ink under clean, glossy plastic. 

The bartender didn’t say anything when Blaine giggled after he got his drink.

“So why Williams?” Emma had asked when the driving license has done the rounds of the table so everyone could get a look.

“Ah, it’s a Marvel reference. Eric Williams, also known as...”

“Grim Reaper!” Mike exclaimed, slipping forward off his stool in excitement before settling back on with a clearing of his throat. “Not bad, Anderson. Or Williams.”

“Well would you look at that, you got Chang all flustered!” Puck laughed, clapping them both on the back.

Kurt watched on with a grin, letting it turn fond as Blaine caught his gaze, giving him a huge smile before clinking his glass to his.

It took three drinks before Kurt let himself be dragged on the dancefloor, joining his friends in the live music. It wasn’t too loud, there weren’t too many people; it was perfect. 

They lasted a good number of songs before people started giving up; Emma first, followed by Mike then Puck. Kurt saw them walking off the dancefloor to get a drink or air, leaving just him and Blaine laughing and dancing along to whatever song the band was playing.

It’s without hesitation that they got closer when a slower song started up, joining in a sort of relaxed walz that had Puck whooping in the sidelines. Kurt thought he even saw Emma grin when Mike elbowed her to look.

Kurt glanced back at Blaine whose attention was on him and him alone.

Tilting his head a little, Kurt took in Blaine’s crooked smile and close proximity. His head felt light and he was pretty sure it wasn’t because of the cocktails he’d had.

“You wanna kiss me,” He heard himself say, just loud enough for Blaine to hear him.

So maybe the cocktails had a little bit to do with it.

“Yeah? And how would you know that?” Blaine answered with an unabashed grin and an eyebrow wiggle.

“Because you’ve been ignoring the song’s rhythm for the past minute or so. I swear the guy playing the cello is smirking at us.”

“Does he also know I want to kiss you?”

“Ah, so you’re admitting it,” Kurt shot back.

“I would never dream of denying it.”

The music stopped right as Kurt stopped dancing, barely hearing the thank yous and goodbyes the musicians were giving. The applause fell away in the background as Kurt smiled at Blaine. 

He felt heavy and light at the same time, a sensation of falling in his veins. He liked to think he had been in love before but suddenly he wasn’t sure; because this wasn’t a crush anymore and despite how it had started out he was now horrifyingly sure that it wasn’t something he could ignore anymore.

That scared the shit out of him. He was prepared for flirting, for dating, for inappropriate thoughts and maybe activities on the job, for lust; not this feeling of tripping head over heel into something he couldn’t grab onto or control. It felt bigger than what he was prepared to handle. More permanent. More dangerous.

Somehow this felt like playing with fire. It worried him how little he cared about getting burned.

But he didn’t kiss Blaine right there as the band started packing up and the house lights came back on. Instead he pulled him by the hand back to where their friends were waiting, a few drinks ahead of them. Instead he held up his glass in a toast, he didn’t say to who but they all knew.

Instead he told himself to wait; not ignore, not repress, but wait. Wait until Blaine hadn’t just lost someone important, be it himself or his old mentor. He decided to keep the same promise he had made himself when Blaine first tumbled into his life, even if the circumstances were different.

They all made their way home separately, most opting for public transportation in the chilly evening air but Blaine suggested they walk so they did.

They didn’t hold hands or walk pressed together but it felt intimate, even with the people milling around. They were a good number of blocks away but it didn’t take too long. When they weren’t chatting the noises and activity of the city around them kept them entertained.

It didn’t change the fact that their feet hurt by the time they got back. The city was unforgiving on shoes unless you were willing to go with orthopedic ones. Kurt wasn’t willing.

Collapsing on the couch with a groan, Kurt put his feet up on the coffee table where they just slipped to the floor awkwardly. “Goddamn minimalist furniture,” He mumbled with a pout, making Blaine laugh.

It was with obvious effort that Blaine reached for Kurt’s legs, pulling them up over his lap so Kurt could rest his feet.

Kurt grinned at him, “Thanks. You’re way better than a table.”

He fell asleep like that and when he woke up hours later Blaine was still there, head tilted back on the couch, mouth wide open. Kurt closed his eyes so he wouldn’t laugh. He did pull his phone out to get a picture, though. He looked at it with a grin that turned fond when he saw how comfortable they looked; how domestic. 

Of course he couldn’t leave it like that. He decided to blame it on all the time he spends with Puck as he lifted his foot a little off Blaine’s lap and walked it up Blaine’s chest. However, before it could actually reach his face Blaine startled awake, hand jumping up to catch Kurt’s foot, making him burst out laughing.

Blaine spluttered, eyes still half closed and hand still confusedly wrapped around Kurt’s foot.

When he finally understood what was happening he dropped back against the couch with a breathless laugh.

“Bored, then?”

Kurt shrugged, watching with a raised eyebrow as Blaine simply set his foot back down instead of letting go. “A little. An open mouth can only keep me entertained for so lon-”

He froze, the realisation of what he’d just said creeping up on him. He let himself slide off the couch in embarrassment. Only peeking up at Blaine from the floor when he noticed his feet had still not been released.

Blaine was biting his lip, looking down at his hands. It was so obvious how close to laughter he was and Kurt groaned which seemed to break him. With a wheeze, Blaine fell into a fit of giggling.

“Shut up! This is all Puck’s fault! And Santana! She was terrible with innuendos, it must have rubbed off on m- Goddammit!” 

Kurt crossed his arms over his face to hide but he was laughing as well by then, much to Blaine’s delight who was one wave of cackling away from slipping right off the couch.

“Alright, alright,” Blaine tried, barely catching his breath. “We should eat.”

“Blaine,” Kurt whined. “Now everything sounds dirty, this is ridiculous!”

With a snort, Blaine got up, miming zipping his lips up as he headed to the kitchen.

“That didn’t help,” Kurt mumbled before following to help make dinner.

~-~-~

Two weeks later Sue put down a post-it in front of Blaine.

It was 8:12am on a Tuesday three days after Puck tried to convince her to have their usual meeting at 10am instead of 7. She agreed on 8.

The table went quiet, but it was an excited kind of silence, all directed on Blaine who was staring wide-eyed down at the curled yellow paper.

“Porcelain, make sure his first time doesn’t hurt too much,” Sue told Kurt causing the whole booth to smother their various reactions unifectively. “Good luck, Anderson.”

With that, she left, taking her breakfast pastry and coffee with her.

“Who do you have?” Mike asked, face contorted with his attempt to keep the laughter in, unlike Puck who was cackling.

To his credit, Blaine wasn’t blushing too hard. “Uh, J.B. Israel?”

“You gotta reap Justin Bieder?” Puck asked with a raised eyebrow he didn’t know how to do before he met Kurt.

“It’s Justin Bieber,” Emma supplied before freezing and going red in the face.

Puck looked at her with a half smirk, “I’m not even gonna ask how you know that.”

To everyone’s shock Emma took some whip cream from her hot chocolate and smudged it on Puck’s face. He was so surprised he didn’t even think to stop her. Or wipe it off.

It was Emma that ended up wiping it off four minutes later.

Everyone had their own reap to attend so they couldn’t join Blaine on his own. Everyone knew that was a lie but everyone also knew that Blaine only needed Kurt for this.

Blaine looked grateful as he said his goodbyes and watched them all leave after paying the bill.

“So your first reap,” Kurt started, bobbing his head up and down in mock contemplation before grinning.

“Yeah. 5:49pm.”

“What do you wanna do till then?” 

Blaine looked up at him, something flashing in his eyes and ending up on his cheeks. In the form of a blush. Kurt swallowed, catching Blaine’s gaze on his throat as he did so. 

A “kill time” joke was on the tip of his tongue but his throat was locked.

“Can I get you guys anything else?” 

Kurt jumped a little, turning a polite smile to Tina with a shake of his head. Blaine did the same.

When silence fell again Kurt laughed a little. 

“What’s so funny?” Blaine asked, leaning forward

“You wanna kiss me. Again,” Kurt went with some tint of honesty.

“Hate to break it to you but I’ve wanted to kiss you for quite a while so “again” doesn’t really apply,” Blaine whispered with a raised eyebrow.

“We’re terrible roommates,” Kurt answered but he was grinning. “As long as that’s established.”

“We could good at being something else.” Blaine added, eyes fixed on Kurt’s.

Kurt bit his lip, playing the waiting game was hard enough when nothing was said but suddenly the ground beneath his plan was crumbling. Especially when he brought it up himself.

“What are Sue’s rules on this?” Blaine asked before he could come up with any kind of answer.

“In our group the only thing that ever happened was years before my time. Something between Puck and another reaper, but no one ever talks about it. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a sore subject or because it ended badly, like, universally badly.”

“Do reapers not date?”

Kurt sighed, “It’s something we’re warned against. We don’t age the same way humans do, if at all. And not just that but they can never know us entirely, it would be all lies and hidden pasts. Where we grew up,  _when_  we grew up. Even what we look like. We’re allowed to date, not fall in love.”

“I know what you look like. I know where you grew up and about your family. I know what you do in your spare time and as a job,” Blaine reached for his hands. “You’re giving me the speech about reapers dating humans. What about us?”

“Blaine, we don’t know how long we’ll be reapers, it could be years, decades. Centuries even. We don’t know when our quota will be up. This is a huge risk.”

Blaine looked down at this hands, linking their fingers. “One you’re willing to take.”

Kurt answered without hesitation, “Yes.”

“But...”

“We can’t ever promise forever to each other. Our time in this plane has a time-limit we don’t know about.”

Blaine looked up, he smiled. “Kurt, I don’t care.”

“When did that happen?” Kurt asked with a disbelieving laugh.

“I died, Kurt. I died, I lost myself in the most profound way and I could have let that destroy who I was. But my... feelings for you reminded me of what I lost, or what I hadn’t lost. You kept me human, you showed me your world and let me stay myself by inviting me into it. Do you have any idea how much that meant to me?”

“That’s my job.”

“No it’s not, your job was to give me a place to stay, you gave me a freaking home. You gave me an excuse to hold on to who I was before I died. You kept me alive. You saved me in a way that goes far deeper than any human love.”

“Blaine, I...”

“We don’t know what you and I have, but I want to. And I’m pretty damn sure you do, too.”

Kurt could only nod, stomach in knots.

Finally, he found his voice. “We wait. You’re about to take your first soul, do your first job. We wait until you get through that, in every way.”

“How many days do you give me to get over the trauma?” Blaine asked with a giddy grin.

“Weeks. Trust me when I say this will be calculated in weeks.”

“Ouch, Hummel,”

“The usual warning is for months. That was a compliment,” Kurt responded with a smile. “Mostly.”

“So we wait.”

“We wait.”

~-~-~

They spent the day talking. They were both very good at ignoring what they’d agreed upon. And their joined hands on the table. Kurt liked to think that was within the rules of waiting.

At 5:02pm they headed out. 

At 5:41pm they watched a man get accosted by a loud journalist by the name of Jacob Ben Israel.

At 5:46pm Blaine side-stepped him with a light touch to his shoulder.

At 5:49:22pm Jacob was tripped by another journalist and sent tumbling down the stairs.

At 5:49:31pm Jacob was standing next to Blaine.

“Fuck,” Blaine whispered, still looking at the body at the bottom of the staircase. Kurt took his hand in his.

“Aw, shit.” Jacob groaned, finally noticing his own lifeless self. “Wait, does this mean I can do whatever I want?”

Kurt sighed, closing his eyes as Blaine turned confusedly towards his charge.

“Um, well, you get to say goodbye to this world the way you wish to. You can go say goodbye to your loved ones or visi-”

“I wanna go spy on people. I’m invisible, right? I can totally go into women’s changing rooms and they wouldn’t even know! I can go hang around the hottest ladies in the world until they get undressed! Oh, this is brilliant!”

Blaine looked scandalised, his face could rival Emma’s on her best days.

“No! What is wro- No. No you aren’t allowed to do that.” Blaine finally hissed.

Kurt snorted. 

“Fine, then I wanna go see some things. I’ve been living in this darn city for over three years and I haven’t seen any of the sights.”

Blaine stared at him like he was insane, “No! This isn’t a final hurrah before you take an exam this is the end of your life! As in, you’re dead, you will be leaving this place forever. For. Ever.”

“Yeah? So? Let’s go to the Empire State Building! And central park! And the Rockefeller ce-”

“You get to see one.” Blaine deadpanned.

Kurt burst out laughing. Of course Blaine would get a difficult one for his first.

“You’re a terrible... wait, what are you? Angel? Demon?”

“I’m your goddamn Charon and this is the fucking Styx. Let’s go,” Blaine grumbled.

So they went. And everywhere they went was already or almost closed, it was too late to get in pretty much anywhere so Jacob would say no and pull them somewhere else.

“Is it murder if he’s already dead?” Blaine grumbled after the fifth landmark. 

Kurt couldn’t even find it in himself to be amused anymore. Nothing was keeping him entertained and he was starting to wish Jacob wasn’t immaterial so he could slap him. Or kick him.

It’d be like fighting air. In public.

Instead he groaned in response and let himself be led across the city.

By midnight he was almost wishing for Blaine’s ethical code to crumble so he would just yell at Jacob until he made his Lights appear.

In the end Blaine did crack, but in a kinder way that Kurt was hoping for.

“Jacob! It’s almost one in the freaking morning, pretty much everything is now closed! Even central park is closing in less than an hour! Pick something for the love of god!”

People on the streets stared worriedly at Blaine. Well, tourists did, the locals just walked by as if there wasn’t an angry and tired man yelling at wind.

“Alright alright, fine! Central Park it is. It’s lame and boring but fine!”

“Shut up, Jacob!” Kurt yelled, officially passed breaking point as he stormed off in the direction of the park which was back the way they had just come, of course.

When they got there Jacob went off on his own, claiming they were “no fun” and that he would meet them there at closing time.

As soon as he was gone Kurt collapsed on the ground, not caring about his clothes or the damn pedestrian traffic. Blaine joined him with a groan so dramatic Kurt wondered if it had actually come from his soul.

“I hate him.” Blaine said after a while causing Kurt to nod. “I hate my first reap. Wasn’t this supposed to be a life changing experience, or something? Find someone incredible and wise and amazing that I could remember forever?”

“Nope. Mine was a guy who couldn’t speak English, only Polish. It took two hours to get him to understand he was even dead let alone what had to happen next.”

“Did you just feel like crying, curling up in a ball and never leaving the house again?” Blaine asked.

“Pretty much. After that I was convinced it was going to be the shittiest job in the world.”

Blaine was quiet for a bit, “And is it?”

Kurt turned his head to look at him, “Nah, it has its perks.”

“Although I appreciate a good flirtatious cliche, I’m kinda scared for my future career here!” Blaine whined while Kurt laughed.

“No, I promise it’s actually pretty amazing. You get to meet a great variety of people. Some good, some bad, some really bad and then some incredible.”

“Doesn’t meeting incredible people make it harder? Knowing you’re taking their soul off the earth?”

The question hung in the air for a bit. Kurt knew exactly what he was asking, he had asked the same question once upon a breakdown, except in his situation he hadn’t lived it yet. Blaine had, with Mister Shue.

“I guess sometimes you have to focus on the memories they left behind. The fact that they were there in the first place, among the living. It makes it better, but yeah, sometimes it’s really hard. The worst is family members. Any person who wants to see their family one last time is hard. Jacob’s an exception but reaps usually get sad when loved ones are involved.”

“Do you ever get sad anymore?”

“Not really, it’s only a temporary thing, that feeling, because then you get to see the happiness and freedom that comes with it. People feel liberated, a lot of the time. They know it’s their time and suddenly it’s not depressing. It’s bright and lively and a new step.”

“That’s lovely,” Blaine whispered, taking Kurt’s hand on the ground beneath them. 

“Give it a shot, yeah? Think of the good you’re doing. If it weren’t for us these people would suffer far more than they should, they wouldn’t get to say their final goodbyes.”

“You’re very good at making shitty things better.”

Kurt burst out laughing, startling a woman walking her dog as she skirted around them.

Two minutes before closing time Jacob came back.

“I don’t even want to know what you did,” Blaine sighed, letting himself be pulled off the ground after Kurt stood up. “Are you ready now?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Hey, will you do me a favor?” Jacob wondered.

With obvious difficulty, Blaine nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“Will you look out for my name? In the papers? Any articles that I wrote or I’m in, think of me when you see them? No one else will so I thought maybe you could...”

Blaine smiled, “I will, Jacob.”

His lights appeared, then. A press room with an empty podium, one that Jacob stepped up to with a grin. He waved back at them before vanishing.

“So weeks, huh?” Blaine asked.

Kurt frowned for a second before remembering. “Days of trauma, weeks of recovery.”

“Do you think he really had no one?”

After a deep breath Kurt turned to him, reaching out to grab his sleeve. “He has you. No matter what, his memory stays with you, bittersweet or not.”

“Are you telling me I have collected his soul? Are we soul collectors?” Blaine teased making Kurt tss at him with a push to his shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to start a collection!”

“Come on, Zacariah, let’s go home.”

That night they ate leftovers and spent two hours trying to find the worst movies possible before going to find another one, aiming for worse and worse.

They fell asleep after the seventh movie they found that actually caught them in a net of melodrama and terrible acting. 

It was a cut-off scream that woke Kurt up. It didn’t matter that it was dark or that he was half asleep he immediately knew it had come from Blaine who he crawled to without hesitation, feeling out in the dark for his face.

He could feel how harsh Blaine’s breathing was, how hard his heart was beating against his too-hot skin.

“Hey, hey, Blaine. It’s okay, you’re alright. You’re home,” He murmured, leaning in closer, pressing his forehead to Blaine’s. “You’re okay.”

“I killed him,” He heard Blaine whisper laboriously against his cheek, voice cracked and broken and too quiet in the echoes of Kurt’s sleep-addled mind. “I killed him, Kurt.”

“No, no, no you didn’t, Blaine. You didn’t kill him, you didn’t do this.”

“I... I took his life when I could have... Kurt, I could have saved him. I could have stopped it and I didn’t! I killed him!”

“Please, no, no! This isn’t on you, Blaine. You have to know that. This isn’t on you.”

Blaine gasped in a shattered breath, taking it in desperately as his body shook under Kurt’s.

Kurt wondered if the tears he could feel against their faces were his or Blaine’s.

It took a long time for their breathing to even out. For Blaine to calm down enough to fall back asleep. For Kurt to stop worrying long enough to join him.

Waking up was even more difficult because that meant he had to detach himself from Blaine who was frowning in his sleep. Who had his fists curled in Kurt’s shirt, to keep him there, for protection, comfort, anything.

Whatever it was Kurt didn’t have it in him to break.

Then the alarm rang.

Blaine opened his eyes slowly and Kurt wondered if he was granted a moment where he couldn’t remember before it all came rushing back.

“Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m okay.”

Kurt laughed softly, letting his head fall against Blaine’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” He mumbled there.

He could almost hear Blaine’s frown, “What? Why?”

“Because you’re going through this. And there’s nothing I can do to help.”

Blaine leaned back to stare at Kurt. “Did you bang your head or something? Of course you’re helping. You’re the only reason I’m still standing. Well, not currently, but in general. I have no idea what I’m doing, Kurt, you’re my anchor in all this.”

“Did Warblers teach you to schmooze like that?”

Blaine laughed, surprised and bright and loud and Kurt’s stomach did some kind of swoop in relief. He didn’t know how much he needed to hear that laugh again until just then.

“So you’re alright?” He asked, just to make sure, just for his own peace of mind.

“Yeah, I think you know me well enough by now to know I will be.”

“I know you enough to know you’re very good at hiding things,” Kurt shot back. “Feelings, mostly.”

Blaine let his head fall against the couch with a smile, “Maybe, but not with you. I don’t think I could ever lie to you.”

The urge to test him on that was overwhelming, possibilities swimming in Kurt’s mind but he resisted. 

“And just to be clear, it was the Daltons that taught me how to bullshit my way through anything. I mean we somehow managed to lie our way out of having any adult supervision, so.”

Kurt snorted, finally rolling off of Blaine to stretch.

After some discussion they decided to make toast before heading out.

After some more discussion they decided that they either needed to get a new toaster that didn’t set off the sprinklers or new sprinklers that didn’t get set off by the toaster.

They both headed towards their respective rooms, yesterday’s clothes soaking wet but they were laughing.

But when Kurt was ready and Blaine wasn’t already by the door waiting for him he knew something was wrong. 

Knocking gently on the door he called out for Blaine before entering. 

He found Blaine staring at himself in the mirror in an undershirt, holding his sweater in a loose grip down by his side.

“Blaine?”

“I forgot. For a second, I forgot.”

Kurt met his gaze in the mirror but it wasn’t his; it was his undead reflection, the one others saw.

“You’re not gone. That may not be you but this is,” Kurt whispered, putting his hand on Blaine’s shoulder. “You’re still here. You’re still you.”

“To everyone else Blaine Anderson is dead.”

“Not to me, not to us.” Kurt answered without hesitation because he had gone through this and Mike had been there to comfort him with those words. Probably said with a little less desperation, but still.

Mike probably didn’t want to kiss the doubt and fear out of him either but suddenly that’s what Kurt wanted,  _needed_ , because Blaine was staring at his reflection like he was trying to make peace with his death.

Like he was accepting his fate; that Blaine Anderson was gone.

So Kurt did the next best thing, he gripped Blaine’s shoulder and forced him to turn before taking his face in his hands. Blaine sucked in a breath but met his gaze.

“What do you see when you look at me?”

“You...?”

“You see who I was before, you see the Kurt that isn’t officially deceased, the one that’s easy to forget about or let go sometimes. But you see him just like I see who your parents are grieving for because you’re still here. Different face, different home but it’s still you. Don’t you fucking dare forget that.”

Blaine swallowed and Kurt could see his own face, his real one, reflected in his ridiculously expressive eyes. The ones he had noticed when they had first met, the ones that held the same feelings and fears and love he had. The ones Kurt was pretty damn sure he was falling in love with.

“The real Blaine Anderson wouldn’t take a life,” Kurt continued, keeping Blaine still when he tried to flinch away. “And he didn’t. You helped a soul finish its journey just like I will help you continue yours as yourself. Not what your own reflection is scaring you into becoming.”

Blaine sighed, closing his eyes against the blurriness of tears as he grabbed onto Kurt’s hand that was still against his cheek, leaning into it before kissing the palm.

“Thank you,” He whispered into Kurt’s skin.

After a beat of silence Blaine looked up at him again, a smile playing on his lips. “You’re resisting the urge to get us out the door, aren’t you?”

“It’s almost 8! I’m sorry!”

Blaine laughed, detaching himself long enough to finally pull his sweater on before taking Kurt’s hand again like the most natural thing in the world.

“Alright, White Rabbit, let’s go.”

“Alice in Wonderland? Really?” Kurt teased, dragging them out of Blaine’s room with a scoff.

“Would you rather be compared to Kant?” Blaine laughed, letting himself be led easily, grabbing his jacket and wallet on the way as Kurt took their keys.

“Ah, much better. Come on, Preppy.”

Blaine threw his head back and laughed. “Low blow, Hummel.”

They arrived at the diner a minute before Sue did.

“Busy day today, chiclets.” She announced, pulling up a chair to sit on backwards. Bringing out her agenda, she finally looked at all of them. “Two for most of you, three for Emma and one for Blaine.”

Everyone groaned, Puck the loudest before grumbling: “Congrats, Blainey, two for two on your first run,”

Kurt kept his jaw locked tight, gaze down so Sue wouldn’t notice his glaring.

He was foolish.

“What’s your problem, Hummel?”

He looked up, schooling his expression even though it served no purpose.

“Just trying to decide what I want for breakfast,” He responded. “Bacon or hash browns, what do you think?”

Sue kept her gaze locked on his before pushing her agenda towards him.

He broke the staring competition to look down at the grouping of post-its on that day’s date.

“Top two are yours. The one after that is Blaine’s.”

Kurt dutifully picked up his and Blaine’s, checking them over because he knew something was up. His second reap was almost at the same time as Blaine’s, the addresses were so far apart there was no way he would be able to be there for both.

He swallowed. This was a test. Whether it was for Blaine, him or their less-than-platonic relationship, he didn’t know.

Setting the post-its down he got up from the booth as calmly as possible. “I’m gonna go wash my hands,” He threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

After the door closed he let his head fall against it, fists and jaw clenched. He breathed in and out through his nose.

Once his anger was a little more under control he stepped up to the sink, letting the cold water run over his trembling hands.

He heard the door open behind him.

“I’m fine, Blaine.”

“Not Blaine, sorry,” Mike answered, placing a gentle hand on Kurt’s back. “Are you alright?”

“She’s testing us, isn’t she? I’m not making this up am I?”

Mike sighed, scratching a little at Kurt’s shirt to get him to turn around.

“I think so, yes. That’s why I stopped Blaine from coming after you. What did she do?”

“The ETDs on our reaps are at the same time. Do you think it’s possible she controlled the times?” Kurt asked with a small laugh.

“The woman is scary powerful but I don’t think she’s actually capable of that. Maybe she blackmailed Death into taking someone a day later?”

Kurt snorted. “That sounds more plausible.” After a breath he continued, “I’m just worried about Blaine.”

“You don’t think he’s ready?”

“He’s strong enough to be ready but hasn’t even had time to really handle his first reap. What will happen when he already has two under his conscious before he deals with all of this. I mean, you remember how I was.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember. Mister “I’m perfectly fine” stubborn little reaper. You kept up the perfect image until you threw up as soon as you got home.”

Kurt scrunched his nose at the memory. “I spent almost a whole week in bed after that.”

“I made the biggest batch of soup I have ever made in my life. Had to go to Costco for the ingredients,” Mike recalled with a lopsided grin. “Lasted weeks.”

“It was really good soup,” Kurt assured. “You took good care of me.”

“And you’re taking good care of Blaine. You think I don’t see how happy he looks? When I first met him the freaking light in his eyes was almost gone. You brought it back, as ridiculous as that sounds.”

“Aw, you’re a romantic!” Kurt cooed, poking him in the chest.

“And you’re full of shit if you think we don’t see how badly you’ve both got it for each other. Christ even Emma said you two would make a cute couple.”

Kurt groaned, letting his head fall back exasperatedly.

Mike continued, “It was Puck that had to tell us you two hadn’t gotten your shit together yet. Apparently the man can tell when two people have or haven’t had sex. According to him, there hasn’t been any “gettin’ it” yet.”

Hiding his head in his hands Kurt laughed embarrassedly. He wondered how red his face was.

“I’m gonna put salt in his smoothie,” He mumbled but he was smiling.

Mike laughed, pulling at Kurt’s sleeve.

“Come on, lover boy, you’ve been washing your hands long enough.”

“Time to face the music, eh?”

With a sigh as dramatic as possible, Kurt let himself be pulled out of the bathroom.

He sent a reassuring smile at Blaine’s frowning, worried face as he sat back down.

Sue ignored him but he knew her well enough to know he had passed her test. 

He ended up having bacon.

~-~-~

Blaine stayed home while Kurt went out to do his first reap, who ended up only wanting to check on his mother before leaving through a grand stage with a grin. 

By the time he got back Blaine was already getting ready to go do his, which was on the other side of the city from Kurt’s second reap, from their place.

Kurt managed to keep his worry to himself, only giving Blaine encouraging words and bright smiles.

Somehow he was pretty sure Blaine saw right through him.

Right before he left Kurt gave in and threw his arms around his shoulders, whispering a low “good luck” against the softness of his sweater. The sweater that reminded him just how upset Blaine had been that morning.

“I’ll be fine, Kurt. Don’t you worry your pretty little heart,” Blaine assured in a gentle voice, squeezing at his waist where his arms had automatically settled. “I’ll come home to you soon.”

Kurt let go, lips sucked in between his teeth to keep himself together as he nodded.

“Good luck on yours, okay?” Blaine asked, opening the door.

“Yeah, of course.”

His own heart felt too heavy in his body, a feeling he held onto through the waiting, through taking the train to his reap, through the first alarm he had set on his phone for Blaine’s reap, two minutes before his own. S. Perkin.

He found her easily enough since she was wearing a nametag. He used the excuse of asking about her tattoo, a bird on her shoulder, to touch her; get her soul.

She died of poisoning if her groan was anything to go by as she appeared next to him.

In the end, it took less than an hour for her Lights to appear. All she wanted before leaving was to check on her aunt who lived in Switzerland so Kurt brought her home with him so he could skype the aunt in her place. 

It was always awkward, talking to relatives on behalf of the dead. But using the right excuses and lies for the right people, it was possible.

Sandra Perkin hugged him as best as she could before stepping into her Lights, a bedroom he couldn’t recognize.

After the Lights vanished the apartment went dark. He had forgotten to turn on the lights when he came in and by then the sun had gone down. 

With a shake of his head to himself he turned on every light in the room. He managed to keep himself busy after that, preparing them a meal he could easily reheat and reorganizing the TiVo. Turns out, having someone live with him didn’t put a damper on his television watching time. Blaine loved all the same shows.

It was around 11pm, four hours after their reaps, that Blaine came home.

Kurt couldn’t stop the noise of relief he made as he paused the episode of Castle he was watching to get up.

He didn’t know what he was expecting but Blaine covered in mud and grinning wasn’t one of them.

“Um?”

“My guy was a fan of extreme sports. He wanted to do one last big thing before leaving and... I had to talk him down from skydiving and bungee jumping until he agreed on an obstacle course. Hence...” He gestured to himself.

“An obstacle course?” Kurt asked, biting at his knuckle to not laugh.

“An extreme one, yes.” Blaine added, squaring his shoulders in mock offense. “I’ll have you know it was very difficult.”

Kurt grinned. “Uhuh. Want some dinner, G.I. Gel?”

Blaine burst out laughing before going to get changed quickly, claiming he would take a shower after dinner because he was starving.

The mood was light and perfect as they ate and Kurt wondered if he’d be willing to spend the rest of his life like this, with this man, despite the expiration date. It wouldn’t be like a human relationship, they wouldn’t stay together until death did them part or until they grew old. They would be together until one had the other’s replacement’s name on a post-it.

Kurt thought that if that happened he would also start wearing a long black robe and carrying a scythe.

But Kurt wanted it. Again and again he tried to discourage himself but the truth always came back: he wanted this. He was willing to try this, caution to the wind, courage at hand and all that.

Blaine was someone he could love until time said so. He was kind and funny and smart, he made Kurt think and laugh and live in a way he hadn’t ever dared to, even back when he was “alive”.

Kurt remembered the first time he stayed at his aunt’s place after his mom, her sister, died, how his aunt had brought out every game she had and made Kurt sit down and play. It was the first time he’d laughed since the funeral.

She had found every puzzle she could and they spent hours playing, covering every surface of her house with completed puzzles. Every time they finished one Kurt marvelled at the final fit, the way everything clicked together to make a beautiful image.

That’s how it felt with Blaine, with how they worked. They were similar in the ways that mattered but different in the ways that counted. They clicked in every way and it felt natural in that electric way you know is perfect. You know would last.

He watched with his bottom lip between his teeth as Blaine went to do the dishes, sending a smile his way. Not the one he gave strangers or their group of reapers or the people from his old life but the one he only gave Kurt. 

He had a smile for only Kurt.

“I am so in love with you,” He heard himself whisper as Blaine turned on the hot water tap in the kitchen, drowning out Kurt’s confession that he wasn’t ready to admit just yet.

With a private grin Kurt gathered the rest of their dishes and brought them to the kitchen placing them on the counter next to Blaine before settling on the one behind him where he could watch him work.

To his credit, Blaine didn’t look too confused.

“How are you holding up?”

“Kurt, I’m pretty sure you already know the answer to that question,” Blaine responded with a smirk, not missing a beat.

“Just fine, then?”

“Just fine indeed. Peachy, even.”

Kurt laughed, “Alright, alright. I just wanted to check.”

“If anything’s the matter you know I’d come to you, right?” Blaine asked, turning his head to the side so he could see Kurt from the corner of his eye.

“Yeah... I know that. Right back at you.”

Blaine smiled before turning back to his dishes, to the growing pile of soap and bubbles.

“Not even Mike? Or Puck?”

Kurt chewed on his lip, “No, you come first. I can be completely honest with you.”

Blaine nodded seriously and it’s with that same serious expression that he grabbed some of the bubbles, turned around and splattered Kurt with them.

With an undignified squawk Kurt jumped off the counter but Blaine was already running away with a giggle. Blaine was too far to reach with bubbles so Kurt splashes his hand through the water, throwing it towards where Blaine was laughing.

He let out a screech when the water nailed him in the face. After a second to recover he stalked back to the kitchen.

Kurt stepped back, putting his finger up while he settle a second one on the toaster’s tab with an “ah ah ah, no”.

Every time Blaine tried taking a step forward Kurt would press down a little on the tab with a meaningful look and a challenging eyebrow.

In the end it didn’t even take really turning the toaster on for it to set off the sprinklers.

“Ha!” Blaine yelled even though he was also under the spray. “Backfire to the max! Or should I say... backwater.”

Despite himself Kurt snorted, already being drenched against his will. “More like dishwater,” He mumbled, slapping his hand down hard in the water for it to splash the both of them since Blaine had come close again.

“You little devil!” He laughed, reaching forward to get to the water himself but Kurt was too fast, spinning them quickly and pressing Blaine against the sink so he could splash water right onto his back.

Blane curved forward with a distraught cackle, pushing Kurt away until he found himself against the other counter, soaking wet and giggling.

Reaching behind him, Blaine suddenly lunged forward, a glass from their dinner in his hand filled to the brim with soapy water that he dumped on top of Kurt’s head with an evil smirk.

Kurt growled playfully and pushed Blaine right back against the sink, using the element of surprise to lift Blaine on top of it until his ass was in the water.

“Oh my god!” Blaine yelled while Kurt wheezed against his chest.

“Do I win?” He asked when Blaine didn’t try anything else.

When Kurt looked up Blaine was mock-pouting, a smile fighting to come out. “My butt is in water.”

Kurt burst out laughing and Blaine joined him soon after. They didn’t even notice when the sprinklers turned off.

Finally Blaine looked up, “Well, I guess that was my shower then.”

That was all it took to set Kurt off again.

They spent three hours cleaning all the water up but they didn’t mind.

Going to bed at 3am was worth it.

Kurt had to remind himself of that when the 7am alarm rang the next morning.

“No!” He heard Blaine yell from his room. Kurt snorted before rolling, quite literally, out of bed.

“There is no rest for the wicked! Or reapers!” He called back.

It was Tina’s day today but he still made them coffee.

Blaine came in right as the first cup was filled, grabbing it right out of Kurt’s hands.

“M’ thanks,” He mumbled happily into the cup. “Sugar? But you take your coffee with cream...”

“I know you too well, Blaine Anderson.”

Blaine grinned, gave him a “thank you” and a kiss on the cheek because moving to prepare the toast.

Right after putting two pieces of cinnamon bread in it he leaned over to the front door while Kurt looked on, confused, until Blaine turned around holding two umbrellas.

Kurt laughed but opened his nonetheless as he put cream in his coffee.

The sprinklers went off right as the toast was done. Blaine grabbed the pieces with a grin before putting one of them on a plate and handing it to Kurt.

The umbrellas were protecting enough of the kitchen that the water never touched them. Or their breakfast.

They left before the sprinklers even stopped.

~-~-~

Blaine didn’t get another reap until four days later. 

Even Kurt didn’t get any Saturday and Sunday giving them a full weekend to lounge around, watch shows, prepare extravagant meals for their friends, have video game marathons with Mike, drink-outs with Puck and waterproof sleepwear shopping with Emma, which confused the hell out of her.

Even Sue came by on Saturday night to check on the plumbing, fixed a few things and left with a nod.

On Sunday they all went dancing again, some kind of salsa bar on the other side of the city where they got drunk and danced until the sun rose and the owners asked them to leave with a smile before giving Blaine another tiny drink umbrella to join the collection in his hair and through his shirt.

Blaine looked so happy Kurt almost fell down with his laughing.

Monday was spent sleeping wrapped around each other on the carpet, then the couch and finally Kurt’s bed. Kurt had a reap at 10:33pm, getting up could wait.

Blaine’s third reap was in Central Park which made everyone “ooh” in sympathy.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Puck bit the bullet first, “It’s really hard to find your reap in there. All it gives you is a general area, no specifics. It’s hell. We’ve all done it, though! I’m sure you’ll be fine!”

Blaine looked back down at the post-it and Kurt leaned over to see. “Central Park, North-West.” was written on it right before the ETD: 9:37am.

“Blaine that’s in less than an hour,” Kurt gasped, turning to yell at Sue for waiting so long to give them their reaps but she was already gone. 

“Another fucking test,” He groaned, pulling Blaine up with him as he grabbed one of Puck’s blueberry waffles to go. “We got to leave now!”

They reached the park in record time giving them a good twenty minutes to find the person on the post-it: J. Hilliard.

But everyone was either jogging or power-walking. There were no nametags or people around to yell someone’s name.

“Kurt, it’s almost time, this is impossible!”

“No, no, we always have last resort options, just keep looking. I’ll be right back,” Kurt stressed before running off. On their way through the park they had passed a protest, the person leading it had a megaphone.

Digging through his pockets Kurt stepped up to him, pulling out all the money he had in his wallet, “Please, sir. This is an emergency, I need that megaphone!”

“Wh-what? Why?” He asked, confused. Taking a worrisome step back in mistrust. 

Kurt could feel panic building under his skin, almost like he was feeling Blaine’s. He had to do this, he had to help.

“Please, you don’t understand, I need to use that. Here, take everything,” He mumbled, putting the money in the guy’s hand. “I swear I’ll bring it back I just need it for a bit. Please.”

Something in the way he was begging must have worked because the man handed it over, along with the money.

“Thank you,” Kurt breathed before running off again.

9:34am.

Blaine was shaking, spinning around in circles asking anyone walking by for their name.

“Would an J. Hilliard please reveal themselves, we have your credit card,” Kurt called out on the megaphone. “J. Hilliard you dropped your credit card, mam.” He added as he saw a blonde woman jog towards them with her hand slightly raised.

Kurt nodded at Blaine for him to turn around. Thankfully he managed to brush a knuckle against her shoulder as she rushed past him.

Quickly pulling his own credit card out of his pocket, Kurt pretended to squint at it. “Oh, I’m sorry, we’re looking for an J. Hillian. Misses J. Hillian?”

The blonde woman sighed and turned back around, rejoining her jogging path.

Kurt didn’t find out how she died because suddenly he had an armful of a grateful Blaine.

“Oh, god, Kurt. Thank you, thank you so much. I thought I was going to lose this one, thank you.”

With a smile, Kurt happily wrapped his arms around Blaine’s waist. Holding on as long as Blaine let him before stepped back when the woman from earlier, J. Hilliard, cleared her throat next to them.

“Great. I’m dead.”

With a sigh she set off running. Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in confusion, then panic, right before rushing after her.

“Um, excuse me? We need to talk to you! Excuse me, mam? Please stop, we need to...” Blaine gave up, she was already too far ahead and he was attracting confused attention, people looking around trying to figure out who he was talking to.

“Shit,” Blaine breathed, coming to a stop, winded and red in the face. “Who runs? Why would you run!? How is “I’m dead” the prelude to sprinting away!?”

“Maybe that’s her last wish? To run some more? I don’t know I’ve never had a runner before.”

“Is she lost? Have I lost her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is her soul lost? Will she be able to move on if no one’s there to help her?”

“I have no idea, Bl-”

“Would I be able to feel it or something? If she moved on?”

“Blai-”

“What if she can never leave? Kurt, what if she’s stuck here forever?

Kurt stepped on Blaine’s foot to get his attention.

“Hey, don’t think of it like that. She made her choice, I really don’t think there’s anything you could have done unless you immediately screamed in her face the second she appeared to us.”

“Fuck!” Blaine yelled, startling a photographer. “What do we do?”

“Blaine I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

The stricken borderlining on broken look on Blaine’s face had Kurt pulling his phone out, dialing his third speed-dial number; Puck.

“ _And how is my favorite co-pimp on this fine day_?” Puck answered after barely two rings.

“Have you ever had a runner?”

Puck paused on the other end of the line, “ _A runner?_ ”

“Yeah, a soul that just... jogged away. Really fast.”

“ _You lost your reap?_ ” Puck asked with a cackle.

“Noah this isn’t funny!”

“ _Sorry sorry, Hummel. Sometimes I forget you’re still a baby in all this_.”

“I’m a grown man, Noah. You of all people should know that,” Kurt added just because he could. Blaine’s shocked noise was worth it and even Puck’s loud, proud laugh made him preen.

“ _Hell yeah you are_!”

“So what do we do, then?”

“ _This is what we call in the business a no-win situation. It’s when they simply won’t listen or accept or deal or let themselves leave this life. In the end souls can do whatever they want and sometimes that’s condemning themselves to a life of invisibility among the living._ ”

“This one didn’t seem like the martyr type.”

“ _Did she know she was dead?_ ”

“Oh, yeah, she knew.”

“ _Didn’t give a shit, huh? My kind of woman._ ”

“So what happens now?” Kurt asked, pressing his fingers to his forehead.

“ _She roams free and if ever one day she’s ready to go she’ll find you, or Blaine, whoever had the post-it._ ”

Kurt froze, “So she can find us?”

“ _Yeah, man. Just last month Mike had one from 1968 come back, all ready to go._ ”

“Christ. Wait this means...”

Puck sighed over the phone, “ _Yep, his quota won’t be reached until she leaves the living. Blaineypoo is stuck here until she deals with her shit and moves on._ ”

“But that could take years!”

Puck made a noise of agreement. “ _I’m still waiting on two from the 90’s._ ”

“I’m sorry, Puck.”

“ _Mhm, tell your boy I’m sorry, too. This sucks, especially for one of his firsts. Take care of him, yeah? Maybe a few depraved sexual acts to get his mood back up_?”

“I no longer require your services, Noah. Thanks.”

“ _He probably wants all your services._ ” Puck murmured seductively, emphasising on the “all”  and Kurt could almost hear his eyebrow wiggle.

“Goodbye, Noah.”

“ _Later, Angel!_ ”

Kurt hung up with a smile that dropped when he remembered exactly what he had to tell Blaine.

“My quota won’t be filled until she comes back, that’s it, isn’t it?” Blaine asked.

Letting out a breath Kurt looked up, “Yeah. I’m sor-”

“Don’t apologize, Kurt. I have a feeling I won’t mind staying here a couple decades more. I mean this planet is pretty big, she could be running for quite a while.”

Blaine was grinning at him and Kurt couldn’t help but return it with a disbelieving laugh. 

“What _are_ you, Blaine Anderson?”

“Yours for a little while longer, apparently.” He responded with a sly smirk.

Kurt laughed, letting his head drop forward against his chest so Blaine wouldn't see just how hard he was smiling.

They decided to not go home just yet, choosing to walk around for a bit instead.

“Hey, Blaine?”

Blaine made a “mhm?” noise as he chewed on a bite of hotdog.

“This afternoon I have to go back to work.”

Blaine stopped walking and swallowed. He looked vaguely like a kicked puppy.

“I totally forgot about having normal jobs. Shit, I have to get one too, don’t I?”

“Nah, you don’t have to worry about that for a while. Mike let me leech off him for four months and you’re still in your first, you’re okay. I told you; we’ve got you covered.”

“This whole waiting thing is a shared habit, then?” Blaine asked, grinning with mustard on the corner of his mouth.

“We’re family. It’s a family habit.”

Blaine laughed before taking another bite of his hotdog, getting ketchup on his lip as well.

Kurt scoffed, wiping it off with his thumb and almost leaning in to replace it with his mouth.

The smile Blaine gave him was so big he had to roll his eyes.

“So where do you work anyway?” Blaine asked, almost on his last bite.

“A mattress store.”

Blaine stopped with the bite midway to his mouth.

“... Seriously?”

Kurt shrugged, stealing the bite right out of Blaine’s fingers.

“It’s a really cool place and the hours are relaxed.”

“Relaxed hours at a mattress store, who would’ve guessed,” Blaine teased, settling down on a bench and gesturing for Kurt to join him. They’d each gotten a cookie but apparently sharing was a thing they were doing.

“The person running it is a reaper, too. She’s really cool about one to seven hour “breaks”. She’s also lenient towards taking a few months off to help a fellow reaper adapt to joining the ranks of the undead.”

Blaine nodded, “Ah, that’s why you haven’t been to work.”

“I could’ve been doing it while you slept. For all you know Puck and I did open a brothel.”

With a snort Blaine handed him half of his cookie.

“It’s only part time. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and all day Friday. After 8am of course. Wanna come with me?” Kurt asked, biting into his share of chocolate chip cookie.

“Sure, I would love to see the mattress store Kurt Hummel is willing to work in.”

“Don’t knock it till you’ve found yourself in a closed mattress store where you can do whatever you want.”

Blaine stared at him, like he was trying to read the seriousness of his statement in the way he was chewing his desert. “Fan of jumping, are you?”

“How do you think I got these legs?” Kurt asked, bringing them up as proof. 

Blaine laughed, nodding seriously. “Alright, fair enough.”

“Come with me today, maybe we could make a proper reaper out of you and get you a job where you get paid pretty well for disappearing at random hours.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

They walked all the way there.

They regretted that decision.

By the time they reached the store they could barely stand anymore.

But it was with a smile that Kurt pulled a stunned Blaine by his wrist through the massive space. The place was an old fire-station renovated into a store. 

Everything had been changed except the high ceiling and a few poles that served no purpose.

“Damn,” He heard Blaine whisper behind him.

It was lunchtime so no one was there which gave Kurt the perfect opportunity to show Blaine around. In the end they made it a fourth of the way through the tour before collapsing on one of the beds for sale, legs dangling off the side from lack of enough energy to scoot up.

“This whole walking thing, probably should’ve done that when I was alive. Now I’m gonna stick with the idea that I don’t need to stay healthy because I can’t die. That’s a good plan, right?” Blaine asked, making a pained noise as he tried to turn towards Kurt. He gave up with a huff.

“Brilliant plan. Really, really good plan,” Kurt answered, vaguely slapping his hand on Blaine’s arm to make his approval of the plan more viable.

“So where’s your boss?”

“Probably out having lunch.”

Blaine groaned, “Ah, lunch. The reason for my pain right now, what with all the walking afterwards.”

“You don’t even need to age to become an old man,” Kurt huffed, like his lungs didn’t have the strength to actually laugh. “Shit, don’t we have a dinner at Emma’s tonight?”

“Oh. Dammit. We have to go home and cook then.”

Kurt did actually turn towards Blaine, “We’re dead, social cues don’t apply to us. All is wanted of us is our presence and a bottle of wine.”

“You’re a horrible influence, Kurt Hummel.”

Kurt darted forward to press a kiss to Blaine’s cheek before grinning at him, “You bet your ass I am. Now come on, let’s start heading home, it’ll take us a while.” 

It ended up taking three times longer than usual, especially given they fell asleep on the subway and went all the way to the end of the line.

~-~-~

Dinner at Emma’s was fine until everyone started making jokes about Kurt and Blaine’s relationship, starting with how Sue saw through their bullshit and how they were so transparent their reaps could probably see it.

Kurt played along, humoring them all with his jaw clenched tight, all fake smiles and avoiding eye contact.

As soon as another topic came up he excused himself quietly, dropping his napkin on his chair before walking out.

Emma had been lucky enough to keep almost everything from her past life when she became a reaper, her family’s money, her belongings but mostly her duplex in the upper east side. Which had a balcony that gave to a stunning view of the city.

Which was where Kurt headed to. He loved his friends, his family, but sometimes he needed a break and he loved coming to Emma’s because it contained the perfect place for that.

When he did that everyone knew to back off. Apparently Blaine didn’t get the memo.

“Hey, you alright?”

Kurt let his head drop forward, barely surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. Just tired,”

Blaine let out a little laugh, “I think I know you well enough to tell when you’re lying.”

“Can you also tell when I want to be alone?” Kurt threw back, a reflex he never quite shook.

The hand vanished immediately. 

“Is it what they said?”

Kurt sighed, hoping it would sound dramatic enough for Blaine to just let it be. He didn’t.

“Look, I don’t know if this is about pride or wh-”

“Pride?” Kurt spat back with a scoff, finally turning towards Blaine.

“Kur-”

“You think this has something to do with my  _pride_? No, Blaine, it has to do with the fact that everyone is making jokes at our expense because we’re easy targets. I’m still trying to find my place in this group and I know this makes me selfish but I feel like I’m...”

“Losing it?” Blaine continued, looking away with a tick in his jaw.

“I don’t know, but their teasing is hitting a little too fucking close to home and I’m terrified about what that means, what this means. I was ready to dive head first without thinking but now... now they’re making jokes about it and talking about us like it’s a joke. Like  _we’re_  a joke.”

“Like they don’t think it could ever be more than that,” Blaine filled in. He had a tendency to do that and it made Kurt’s heart feel too tight.

“Can we?”

“Kurt, we’ve talked abo-”

“So have they, apparently, and they can’t even do that seriously because it could never be considered as something that would ever happen.”

Blaine took a step back like he had been slapped and Kurt wanted to reach out and comfort him but his own confession had him frozen still.

“Is that what this is? A dumb teenage fantasy, a dream? How delusional are we, exactly?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.” Blaine whispered, still not meeting Kurt’s eyes.

“I’m so stupid,” Kurt hissed. “Thinking we could be an exception in a situation where everyone always loses. Where love is unofficially forbidden because it’s  _useless_.”

Blaine’s head shot up at that, “Useless?” He asked, disbelief and anger leaking into his voice.

“None of it can last! Not in this line of work! No relationship can ever last or survive, our world is too fucking messed up for that! So yeah, useless!”

“Fuck you!” Blaine screamed back at him, angry tears swimming in his eyes, blurring the fury and pain in them.

Kurt had never heard Blaine yell, not really, not like this. He’d seen him angry, upset, pissed at the world and the unfairness of their situation but never at Kurt. 

“If you can’t handle this then fucking admit it, don’t hide behind flimsy excuses! Don’t be a coward!” Blaine spat at him.

Kurt flinched, his whole body suddenly cold and weak. 

“I don’t have your courage, Blaine,” He whispered, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around himself. 

When he looked back up, Blaine was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am very very sorry. Everything's going to be okay, I swear!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kurt cut him off, suddenly taken by the realisation that this man, this person that was grinning like Kurt had just given him the world, was in his life. Was part of his life. So he kissed him, he leaned into his body and kissed him with everything he had."
> 
> Make-ups, make-outs, make-ing plans. And a sleepover. Also sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some warnings of the sexual genre!
> 
> Kinks for this chapter: Extreme sensitivity (because reapers), slight orgasm denial, desperation, blowjobs, facefucking, somnophilia, mild dirty talk (in a let-me-tell-you-what-I-can-do-to-you way), intercrural sex.

When he looked back up, Blaine was gone.

~-~-~

By the time Kurt felt up to going back in, Blaine had already done his round of polite goodbyes and left.

Everyone was quiet as Kurt walked back into the room.

“Walls are thin, then?”

“You guys never closed the door...” Puck responded. He looked heartbroken, which was confusing.

“Mhm. Emma, thank you for a lovely meal. I’ll see you all tomorrow. ‘Night.”

The trip back to the apartment was both too long and too short, filled with thoughts of Blaine not being there or Kurt coming home to Blaine packing his bags or locked in his room until the next day.

He was so distracted he got off a stop too early, cursing his lack of attention and resisting the urge to scream, or cry, when he saw that he’d just gotten off the last normal train before the night ones. The next one wouldn’t be there before 40 minutes.

Given that day’s adventure in walking miles his feet protested even the thought of walking home. But he did, because staying on a cold bench alone with his thoughts sounded even less appealing. 

The living room was dark when he got home but he could see the light coming from Blaine’s room through the crack under his door.

Kurt didn’t know how long he stood there in the middle of the main room staring at the door, either hoping for Blaine to come out of for himself to find the guts to knock.

In the end neither happened as he headed towards his own room.

He felt numb through his nightly routine and it wasn’t until he was curled up under the covers that he burst into tears. He let himself truly cry for the first time in a very long time, let the sadness and anger leak out of him as he stuffed his face in his pillows to subdue the sobs. 

It wasn’t weakness he was feeling, it wasn’t a child’s fright or a teenager’s sorrow but grief and loss and fear, an adult’s emotional turmoil. Not the one you felt at the thought of having lost a crush, but a partner, a significant other, a love.

He wondered how many times he would come to the same conclusion before he finally took the leap of faith to the other side where Blaine was already waiting.

The alarm rang before he realised he’d fallen asleep.

For the first time since Blaine had come into his life, he had one of his old repetitive dreams from back when had first joined the undead.

Kurt got dressed with his heart somewhere in his respiratory system even though he knew he was alone in the apartment, there were no other sounds which told him everything he needed to know.

Grabbing his coat and keys he headed out the door, intent on talking to Blaine before the morning meeting could start.

Of course, the only person he found at the usual booth was Puck.

With a sigh, Kurt sat down. Blaine hadn’t come straight here which meant that he was avoiding every place he could run into Kurt.

“Fuck,” Kurt mumbled, cushioning his face in his crossed arms, intent on pretending it had all been part of a reality that wasn’t his.

“I sent everyone on a bogus run,” Puck said casually. When Kurt looked up he was studying the menu with feigned interest. “They know not to come back.”

“Even Bla-” Kurt started.

“No, Anderson hasn’t showed up yet, and if he had I would have sent him on the same bullshit goosechase as the others.”

“What do you want, Puckerman?” Kurt groaned, his head falling back down like his strings had been cut. Strings of hope, or something.

“You and Blaine. Talk.”

Kurt peeked up at him through his arms before sitting up with a sigh. 

“What do you want me to say?”

“How deep is the hole you’re both in?”

The fact that Puck said that without smirking or any eyebrow action made Kurt’s heartbeat speed up. This was bigger than he thought.

“I’m in love with him.”

Puck, to his credit, didn’t look surprised in the least. “So you’re in the deepest level of shit, then?”

Kurt scrunched his nose up, “Lovely visual aside, yeah. Sounds about right.”

“Do you know what happens when two reapers date?”

Kurt swallowed, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear this, especially not after finally deciding he was done waiting. He shook his head.

“Nothing. Because sex is sex and dating is dating. It’s temporary and has no effect on the balance of things because the two parties learn to simply deal with each other when it ends.”

Staying perfectly still, Kurt tried not to argue. He kept his tongue between his teeth so he wouldn't start defending what he didn’t even have yet.

“Do you know what happens when two reapers fall for each other?” Puck asked then, throwing Kurt for a loop.

He shook his head again.

“They change the universe.” Puck leaned forward. “You’re going to have to make a decision here, Kurt, because it’s going to affect a lot more than the number of times you get laid in a week.”

“Puck, please, stop being cryptic. Just tell me, please. I can’t... I can’t deal with this anymore. I need to know.”

“A little over two decades ago there was a girl in the group. She and I... we started fooling around. After a while I was forced to come to terms with the fact that it was a little bit more than that. I fell in love with her.

“When it came down to it, we were given a choice. We were given the option of either staying on this earth together as reapers with the promise of a shared quota, which meant we would leave this plane at the same time, or to move on to the afterlife right then and there.”

Kurt reached out for Puck’s hand because he was pretty sure he knew where the story was going.

“We weren’t given any time to talk about it or decide together and we had to give separate answers. She left, in a flurry of white lights and apologies. I stayed, with a quota for two but no one to leave with.”

Puck squeezed Kurt’s hand, shaking it a little.

“Hey, gentle heart, it’s been a pretty damn long time since it all went down. I got over it.”

With a small smile Kurt asked, “Should you be telling me this?”

“I wasn’t given a warning or time or anything. You deserve more than what I got because your relationship runs far deeper than mine did. Contrary to what people think, I’m not dumb, nor am I blind. I can see just how you two fall together. I just want to make sure there’s a mattress on the ground to catch you.”

“Is that your way of asking for a threesome?” Kurt asked, narrowing his eyes but the effect was slightly ruined by the tears in them.

“Please, if anyone was begging for a threesome it’d be you two. It’s not because you’re fucking soulmates that the sex will be anything but vanilla.”

Kurt burst out laughing before he could stop himself.

“When do you think the question will be asked?” He wondered after ordering a breakfast burrito and his usual coffee order. 

“I have no idea, the only example I have for this is my own story and in that case it took so long for us to get our heads out of asses it was already too late. Then again, you two are so slow on the uptake, you never know.”

Kurt scoffed. “I refuse to believe you got your shit together before we did.”

“ _Will_ , first of all, not  _did_ , because you two still haven’t done jackshit and secondly, in my time the fucking came first and all the emotional mumbo jumbo bullshit snuck up on us when we were already in balls deep. You’re stewing in the sentimental stuff instead of dealing with it. With sex. Or, gee, I don’t know; talking.”

“Your metaphors are delightful, as always. And we did talk, okay, which is when we agreed to wait.”

“Wait until what? The second coming? Because you should try a first one first.”

“I... I’m working on it,” Kurt mumbled, swatting away at Puck’s impressed lear and poking hands. “We just haven’t had a chance to speak since last night.”

Puck groaned, “God, listening to that screaming match was painful. You two are too dumb for your own good.”

“Alright, I get it!”

“Like seriously, so dumb.”

“Puck. I get it. Thank you.”

“So dumb it’s not even funny anymore.”

Kurt shoved some sugar packets in his mouth to make him shut up right as the rest of the group walked in. Half of which, Mike and Emma, sent winks Puck’s way like they were part of some big conspiracy.

Sue was all business. Blaine was quiet.

He didn’t look Kurt in the eye but he did keep his head up.

Kurt hated how he knew exactly how little that meant. How easily Blaine could slip into pretenses and facades to fit into his environment. Stay invisible so no one would ask if he was okay, or care about his answer.

Reaps were delivered, one for everyone except Kurt and Mike, and Sue was leaving.

Everyone else followed after, leaving just Mike and Kurt.

The tension in the air was apparently enough for no one to order breakfast, or in Puck’s case, stay to eat it.

“So,” Mike started, somewhat awkwardly. “How are things?”

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him.

“It’s a work in progress.”

Mike nodded, a smile tugging at his mouth, both teasing and content.

“Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that he left, dropping a kiss on Mike’s forehead and grabbing the take-away bag Tina had prepared for him.

After making a call he headed back in the direction of the apartment where, a block away, was the elementary school’s library, a place he volunteered every once in a while, when the staff was underhanded. 

A few months back when the public library closest to him was shut down he went looking for a place to hide out in, read, think. The only one he’d found was a school extension that also served as a research lab for college students. For an elementary school it had very little children’s books compared to the rest.

It was a basement space with tall walls covered in books. It was painted every color humanly possible giving it a colorful soul one wouldn’t see in an actual college library. 

Sometimes he was asked to put books back on shelves and sometimes he did story time with the kids. That day he was asked to clear out some bookcases for a book delivery from a retirement home.

He was glad for the distraction, it gave him something to do.

He didn’t go home until 6pm.

Blaine didn’t come home until 9pm.

Kurt rushed to get off the couch, it felt like his heart hadn’t followed his body if the way it seemed to smash against his chest was anything to go by.

“How was your reap?”

Blaine froze, eyebrows dropping down into a frown.

“Some creepy guy named Ryerson. It went fine.”

Kurt’s throat closed up as Blaine started walking towards his room so he rushed forward to grab onto his elbow. He tried to say his name but it wouldn’t come out.

“What do you want, Kurt?” Blaine asked, voice hard and strained.

It took a moment before he felt he could open his mouth without sounding like an idiot but Blaine stayed and waited.

“I’m sorry,” He started, desperation leaking in as Blaine scoffed and tried to walk away again. Kurt held on tighter. “Please, Blaine. I need you to listen.”

“Kurt,” Blaine sighed. He sounded so tired and Kurt remembered how he had no one in this new life, he just had the gang and in this situation he couldn’t have gone to them. Or anyone. 

“Get angry.”

Blaine looked up at him, shock painting his irritation away for a moment. “What?”

“We need to move past this, we need to be okay again and for that you need to express what’s going on in your mind. I’m not a peer, I’m not a parent you have to woo or a teacher to impress. I’m me and I need you to yell or scream or just... just tell me.”

“Wh-, you want me to tell you? Tell you what, how much it hurts that you let your fears break our promise? That you’re willing to put some stupid rules first after everything we said, everything we decided  _together_. You went back on your word, Kurt, and left me high and dry to fall without you.”

“Blai-”

“No, no, you’re right, I do need to get it out because this is eating me alive! Isn’t this how people get passed things? Get over fucking heartbreak.”

It felt like the world was dropping out from under Kurt and he couldn’t let that happen because it was finally a ground he was willing to stand on, with Blaine, for a long time.

“Don’t,” He tried. “Don’t get over it.”

“What?” Blaine hissed, verging on hysterical. “Are you kidding? You made your position quite clear, Kurt!”

“No I didn’t! Everything I said was a bullshit defense because I was scared! This, Blaine,” He gestured between the two of them, “Is terrifying. I feel like I’m stepping off a cliff while everyone watches.”

“Oh, well I’m sorry my love makes you feel like you’re about to fall to your death,” Blaine hissed back.

“You know it’s not like that! You know how it is because we’ve been in this since the beginning! I’m scared, alright? Not because this could fuck up or not work out but because I might lose you if it does and I can’t handle that!”

Blaine’s eyes were wide and Kurt couldn’t stand the fact that he’d caused the angry tears in them.

“I just found you, I just finally met you, as silly as that sounds, and I can’t... I can’t lose you. I’m not scared of us or the consequences or our dumb friends and their dumb jokes I’m scared out of my mind of going for this only to lose it, lose you.”

“ _Kurt._ ”

“I need... I need to know that this is a risk I am willing to take, I am capable of taking because I can’t hurt you again like I did, I can’t make you look the way you did last night again, I can never do that to you. Not again.”

“Kur-”

“What if that’s all this will do? End in heartbreak and tears and never speaking again? Blaine, no, Blaine I could never handle that, I need you in my life, I need you there.”

“Kurt!”

“I love you. I am so in love with you but is it enough? How do we kn-”

His words cut off with a sobbed gasp as Blaine grabbed his face and pressed his lips to Kurt’s.

Breathing in through his nose Kurt stepped forward, trying to get closer as he wrapped his arms around Blaine in any way he could. His mouth moved against Blaine’s, slowly, like he was scared this wasn’t actually happening.

Their noses bumped as Blaine tilted his face the other way to kiss him deeper. It felt like a promise, a plea, a sermon all at once and it left Kurt shaking. 

He let it happen, he let his inhibitions and his need to never be weak slip away because Blaine was showing just as much vulnerability, moaning softly when Kurt sucked his bottom lip between his, hands shaking against Kurt’s face.

They leaned back without separating, breath shallow like it was both too much and a necessity. More than a high or a rush of adrenaline. It was the fall, the leap and Kurt had taken it. 

There weren’t fireworks, there was electricity running through his veins like an aftershock after total numbness. 

His mouth was on fire and he wanted to laugh and make jokes about Blaine being the remedy. But all he could do was slide his hands along Blaine’s shirt, curling one around his shoulders and the other by his jaw.

He wanted to make jokes about feeling alive for the first time or being revived but his throat felt raw and raspy and the only thing that could help was kissing.

He could have make jokes about needing to drown in Blaine but he couldn’t remember words, only how to move his body closer and kiss deeper.

Blaine’s body curved into him and he kissed back like his lips held the control of time, the promise of making it last forever.

It was addicting in the sweetest and most dangerous of ways, the little noises Blaine would make when Kurt would lick into his mouth, the shivers of pleasure that would shock them back to reality just for a second, just long enough to remember, to realise, to feel.

Leaning back became as much of a release as the kissing, the ability to breathe a promise of more to come and Kurt couldn’t get enough of it.

By the time his lips felt raw and he knew they needed to stop he was so high strung he couldn’t control anything anymore; the sounds he made when Blaine sucked on his tongue or bit his lip nor the tilts of his hips into Blaine’s he barely noticed, only registering the waves of pleasure.

Kurt wasn’t a virgin but right then he felt like one. The way everything affected him, felt new and hot, but without the awkwardness of first fumbles in the dark because he knew, he knew how to fuck Blaine’s mouth with his tongue, how to tease in the most deliciously frustrating way; how to make-out without it being called that.

“Fuck,” Blaine whispered, voice shot to heaven and back. “Is that a reaper thing?”

“What, feeling like you’ve just come out of a thirty hour sex marathon?”

Blaine laughed, raspy against Kurt’s neck where he started pressing careful kisses, like he wanted to leave marks but didn’t have the strength anymore. “Yeah, that.”

“Nope, but I’d be up to some more testing as soon as my abilities are back.”

“I feel like mush,” Blaine mumbled, body sagging into Kurt’s. 

“Glad I make you feel beautiful.”

Blaine smiled, attempting to nuzzle Kurt’s jaw without success. “I love you.”

Kurt swallowed, waiting for the ceiling to fall or the world to implode but all that happened was an overwhelming feeling of happiness. He felt like a Disney character.

With a smile he started to move them towards the couch because Blaine was already half asleep in his arms.

“Nuh, bed,” Blaine slurred. “No funny business, just bed.”

Kurt snorted, “You’re the kind of guy that passes out after sex, aren’t you?”

“No sex has ever felt like this, and it wasn’t even sex.”

“I can’t decide if Puck would be proud or disappointed,” Kurt wondered, falling onto the bed and pulling Blaine down with him. 

“Proud, so proud.”

The settled under the covers, wrapped around each other like they could recharge each other with closeness.

~-~-~

“Kurt? Blaine?”

It was like waking up underwater, where someone was calling your name. He felt hungover in the way everything was slow but drunk in the way nothing hurt. He was warm and content like a cat in the sun.

He was surrounded by Blaine, his smell, his arms, his legs, his skin but he wasn’t drowning. He woke up with a smile, still not really registering his name being called from outside his pool of happiness.

Then someone was shaking him awake and Blaine was grumbling against his collarbone as he was shaken as well.

“Hey, lovebirds. You missed the meeting.”

That was all it took for the bubble to pop. Kurt bolted up, knocking Blaine off him, making him land against the pillow with an “mnhpf”.

“Shit, we didn’t set an alarm.”

Puck and Mike were standing next to bed, wearing identical smirks.

“W’assit?” Blaine asked from his place smashed against the pillow.

“We missed the morning meeting,” Kurt repeated, groaning into his hands.

“Oh. ‘Kay.” Was the response followed by a violent spring up as Blaine yelled, “Oh! Shit!”

Mike burst out laughing while Puck snorted.

“How mad is she?”

Mike shrugged, “Not at all, she noticed but she didn’t seem angry.”

Kurt dropped back onto the pillow, he hadn’t even notice the way he had grabbed Blaine’s arm like an anchor.

“You two are still dressed, but in bed together. I don’t know if I want to yell at you or be proud.”

“Proud.” Kurt and Blaine answered at the same time.

Puck nodded like he was accepting that reality as his own.

“Any reaps for us?” Blaine asked, seemingly deciding he didn’t care that their friends were there as he settled back against Kurt’s back.

“Um, yeah, one. But we don’t know for which one of you it’s for. She just said “for Kurt and Blaine”.”

With that Mike handed them a post-it.

_D. Stanley. 161 Lafayette Street. ETD: 9:03pm_.

“That’s in Little Italy. There are some good bars down there,” Blaine announced, his chin tucked over Kurt’s shoulder when he sat up again to look at the post-it.

“You trying to get back in their good graces?” Kurt asked with a grin, turning his head just the slightest bit to see Blaine’s narrowed eyes.

“Maybe,” He mumbled, giving Kurt’s jaw a small bite. “Or maybe I’m trying to get you drunk and dancing.”

Kurt’s grin grew, reaching a hand up to stick the post-it to Blaine’s forehead before grabbing and pulling him for a kiss. Morning breath be damned.

“Alright!” Puck said loudly, clapping his hands together. “The rest of us have early-ish reaps so I guess we’re going drinking! See you guys there, jesus fucking christ, maybe getting you two together was a bad idea.”

The door closed with a click which was like a switch. Kurt deepened the kiss with ease before slipping into Blaine’s lap, catching his surprised moan with with his lips, fingers digging into his hair.

Straddling Blaine’s legs Kurt ground down, letting out a delighted noise at finding Blaine hard. Blaine who was kneading at Kurt’s back, fingers digging into skin he couldn’t reach through the shirt. Blaine who was biting his lip before sucking it into his mouth.

Blaine who was thrusting up slowly, too slow not to be deliberate. 

It’s when Kurt moaned on a whine that Blaine really started fucking up, using his grip on Kurt’s back to get closer, grinding their obvious erections together like they could fuck through their clothes if they tried hard enough.

Kurt’s whole body was on fire, burning through his veins as he started grinding harder, bottom lip bitten raw in concentration before Blaine kissed it loose as he reached up for a deeper kiss, temporarily forgetting to move his hips, too focused on the feeling of Kurt’s tongue in his mouth.

“I want us naked but I also don’t want to move,” Kurt mumbled against Blaine’s lips, giving him the break he needed to attach his lips and teeth to the side of his neck. “Fu- shit, Blaine.”

His legs were shaking, clamped down tight around Blaine, grinding in circles without rhythm. He was already ridiculously close, leaving him giggly with desperation, he felt so young and rolling on barely any stamina but that made it  _that much better_. The friction felt like far more than it was, sensitive skin rubbing against rough material.

When Blaine rested his forehead against his collarbone where he had pulled down his shirt a little, where his skin was flushed and damp, Kurt leaned back, just far enough to put his palms flat on the bed and without leaving Blaine’s lap.

Blaine watched, lips pure red and eyes sinful as Kurt used the leverage to roll his hips down, hard and deliberate. Slow in the most torturous of ways but the way Blaine threw his head back against his will, jaw falling open on a loud moan was exactly what he needed to spur him on.

His body was burning, both from the need to come and the strain on his thighs but then Blaine was reaching between them to rub Kurt through his pants, gaze staying on him like he was daring Kurt to come first.

Kurt’s laugh was high and light but he could tell he was seconds away from giving in and coming, the friction of Blaine’s hand and the way Blaine was fucking up against him without any control almost enough to pull him over the edge shaking and screaming.

But that’s when Kurt got a cramp in his leg, forcing him to alter his momentum so he could move it. The tempo change was just enough for Blaine to tense with a shout, hips straining up as he came.

Before he could even come down he lost his voice as Kurt watched on, getting painfully harder in his jeans under Blaine’s spasming fingers.

“Fuck, Kurt.” Blaine moaned, barely audible over the blood rushing in Kurt’s ears and under the rasp of his voice, cracked and abused and Kurt wanted nothing more than to investigate breaking it further, with different activities. “Come here’”

Blaine pulled him forward, hand back to stroking him and if Kurt had any more presence of mind he would have realised he was imitating the movement of Kurt’s hips earlier with a filthy smile.

“Come for me,” He whispered in Kurt’s ear, leaving kisses along his face until he reaches his lips, pecking them over and over without staying long enough, causing Kurt to whine. “I want to see it.”

Kurt twisted up, toes curling as he screamed almost haltingly. He could barely feel his own hands buried in Blaine’s hair or the way Blaine was biting his shoulder, almost like to keep him grounded from the way Kurt had raised to his knees.

Coming down was a mix of giddy laughter, shaking limbs and wondering if it was possible to ever move again.

Kurt flopped down next to Blaine, legs still somewhat spread over his lap but he could barely feel them so they would have to wait.

“Holy shit,” Blaine whispered, voice too far gone to sound like anything else than a gravely whisper.

“Is it going to be like that every time? Because we’re gonna have to start buying sheets in bulk. Costco sheets, fuck.”

Blaine laughed, still wheezy and breathless but so obviously ecstatic Kurt closed his eyes, biting down on his smile, basking in the sting of his lips from the kissing and nibbling.

“Maybe we should get sprinklers installed in our bedroom because the idea of getting up to take a shower right now is inconceivable.” 

Kurt snorted, “Our phone chargers would probably set it off all the time.”

“All the time is how often I’m planning on having sex,” Blaine explained, hand flopping around the bed to grab at Kurt’s arm until he found and linked their fingers.

“I am so okay with that. Also you said “our”, I like that.  _Our_. Our bedroom. Our inability to stand. Ours.”

It was Blaine’s turn to snort. “I feel so wonderfully fucked out and I haven’t even been fucked.”

“Wait a few years and I might be able to rectify that.”

“How about weeks?” Blaine asked with a grin.

“Fuck weeks.”

“There’s such a good joke to make in there but I can’t focus long enough to find it. Puck would have found it.”

“He should never be present in  _our_  bedroom. I can’t let him corrupt you.”

Blaine did a weird squiggly roll thing to get his nose next to Kurt’s. “Will you corrupt me?”

Kurt pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, reveling in the feeling of his heart quickening again, just from that. “I think I already have.”

With a grin, Blaine pressed in closer, “You should corrupt me some more.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

They fell asleep halfway through an amazing makeout session.

~-~-~

They took a cab to Little Italy after a long shower.

They got undressed and dressed in front of each other with minimal amount of blushing and it was like a  _high_  to Kurt. The feeling of a new yet comfortable relationship where all the steps have already been taken, in a way. It was like skipping all the bullshit and getting straight to the real stuff.

Because they, despite what their friends used to think, were real. Dangerous and insane but real nonetheless. Somehow that made Kurt feel safe.

They walked into the address on the post-it, which turned out to be a karaoke bar two hours before the reap. It was early so it was easy to find their little group. It was also easy for them to be spotted right back. Holding hands.

Emma gasped before clapping her hands together, Mike and Puck just grinned because they knew, but even so, they looked delighted.

They ended up not drinking, none of them. Choosing to sit and talk around a low table instead. 

No one went up to sing but they did get up to dance when the patrons took a break from the karaoke machine, playing everything from dance music to blues to top 40.

It was during a slowed down acoustic version of some current pop song that Kurt pulled Blaine up to dance. It was so easy, sliding into each other in a walz, like they had done it a million times before.

Kurt distantly wondered if they ever had, in a reality that wasn’t theirs.

They stayed like that for five songs, warm and happy in a way they never thought they’d ever be allowed, especially not after leaving the living.

At 8:57 Blaine went up to the karaoke stand.

“Would a D. Stanley please come up to the podium? We’re told you’re a wonderful singer and you simply must serenade us!” 

It was a long shot but thankfully their reap had enough of an ego to take the stand, almost pushing Blaine out of the way.

“Hello, my name is Dakota Stanley and this one’s for all of you.”

He turned out to be a terrible singer but his dance moves were impressive.

As he got off the stage Kurt made sure to bump his shoulder like Blaine had, just in case.

The guy dropped dead outside the bar. Mike, Emma and Puck bid them goodnight as Dakota started screeching about the unfairness of dying so young and beautiful.

His Lights appeared but it took him four hours to agree to go through them. 

Kurt was in the worst mood on the way home but Blaine was making that all leak away just by rubbing his shoulder. When they got out of the subway, Blaine stopped him from walking straight home.

“Come to dinner with me.”

“Blaine, it’s one in the morning.”

“This is New York, we will without a doubt find a place that’s still open.”

Kurt sighed but he was already nodding, letting Blaine take his hand and lead him the opposite way from their apartment.

The place was empty so they go to sit by the window. They ordered three entrees and shared everything, ate what they could and requested a doggy-bag for the rest. Even though they were full they ordered the tiramisu. They took half of that home as well.

Walking back to the apartment was a mission in itself, holding hands while carrying cardboard containers. They still managed.

At the door Blaine let himself be kissed - not before leaning down to quickly put all their food on the ground - like the end of a perfect date. Even if it was 3 in the morning and they’d already slept together, it still felt like the conclusion of something wonderful and promising.

When the kiss deepened, they went in, forgetting the leftovers on the stoop as Blaine pushed Kurt against the wall by the entryway, skimming his hands up and down his arms.

It didn’t take long until they were shaking, pressing closer, kissing deeper. The fingers gripping his shirt wound themselves underneath as Kurt pulled at the collar of Blaine’s.

Kurt settled easily against the wall, leaning into it and pulling Blaine to him giving him the perfect vantage point to suck kisses down his neck. Blaine let his hand slap against the wall with a hoarse “fuck” while one of his legs settled between Kurt’s.

To his credit Kurt managed not to bite down when Blaine rubbed up. He did however let out a startled groan when Blaine dropped to his knees in front of him. 

“Christ,” He whimpered as Blaine pushed his hands up under his shirt, kissing the skin underneath in a precise manner that threatened to take Kurt apart. “ _Blaine._ ”

Blaine grinned up at him before finally undoing his jeans, the ones he had watched Kurt put on that afternoon with a whimper. Now he took his time, unclasping every button and pulling down the zipper. He did so while looking up at Kurt which was far hotter than if he had done it with his teeth.

Kurt huffed out a laugh when Blaine went back to kissing his stomach, leaving Kurt’s pants open and ignored. The cool air was torturous instead of refreshing.

Blaine was loving it, hands flexing against Kurt’s thighs as he tried to buck up, licking a strip of skin down to the edge of the material, pulling it down just a little only to go back up.

“Evil,” Kurt whispered, making Blaine laugh.

It’s a cruel yet amazing shock when Blaine suddenly sucked at him through the opening of his jeans, wetting the fabric of his boxer-briefs. It left Kurt gasping, curling forward without meaning to. He already felt overly sensitive and all Blaine had done was put his lips on him. Through material. Material that shouldn’t be there.

“Thank god,” Kurt breathed as Blaine pulled his pants down, hands scratching up his legs, easily avoiding Kurt’s cock. “You’re terrible.”

“I beg to differ,” He heard and  _felt_  Blaine mumble against his hip bone before trailing down to kiss the already damp material, pulled tight against Kurt’s erection. 

When Kurt dared to look down the sight was  _obscene_. Blaine on his knees kissing and licking at the head of his cock through the cloth, fingers playing with the edges of his underwear. 

Every time Blaine sucked particularly hard, like a promise of what was to come, Kurt curled forward. Losing control of his body was never something he ever willingly did but in that instant he was beyond willing. Especially because he saw how it affected Blaine, how much he preened before either backing off or trying harder. 

It was a torturous mix.

Kurt ran one of his hands through Blaine’s hair, gripping a little when Blaine started pulling the material down, careful as he guided it slowly off of Kurt, fingers caressing Kurt’s legs as they went down.

Kurt used his other hand to grab onto the wall behind him where he found nothing to hold, just a smooth surface against his shaking fingers.

He expected more teasing which is why he cried out when Blaine immediately swallowed him down, both hands curled around his hips, as he sucked just once before pulling off.

Kurt was panting by then, body strung tight and trembling under Blaine’s falsely innocent touches.

It didn’t take long for Kurt to get close, nothing but with Blaine’s hand on him as he sucked at the head before taking him in, letting Kurt’s cock graze the back of his throat, making Blaine hum, was enough to have him dancing on the edge of both too much and not enough.

Before long Blaine was foregoing his hands and only using his mouth and tongue. Kurt watched, jaw slack as Blaine spread his knees a little to palm at himself, making him moan around Kurt who was starting to lose control of his hips.

Blaine had a knack for shocking Kurt in the greatest ways; he stared up at him and leaned back, letting Kurt slip out of his mouth, head rubbing against his lower lip. He made his intentions clear as he raised his hands before joining them behind his back with a smirk. Well, as much of a smirk as he could pull off with his mouth wide open.

“Oh, god,” Kurt whimpered. He wanted him to fuck his mouth. He was giving him permission to fuck his mouth.

He started out slow, careful and gentle but the way Blaine’s eyes fluttered closed in pleasure told him just how much Blaine was enjoying it. So he kept at it, holding his cock and watching it fuck in and out of Blaine’s mouth. 

Blaine opened his eyes after a while and Kurt almost burst out laughing as he raised a single eyebrow up at Kurt, clearly stating he wasn’t impressed, but Kurt choked instead as Blaine brought his hands up to Kurt’s ass and made him pushed forward.

He set the pace for a bit, staring up at Kurt with determination in his blown-wide eyes. By the time Blaine reached down to touch himself again Kurt was fully fucking his mouth, forced to stop holding back and happy to do so, even if he felt like he was losing his mind. Right down Blaine’s throat.

He slowed down when it got to be too much and Blaine happily resumed sucking him, cheeks hollowing out as he watched Kurt, lashes sinful in such a dirty picture. One Kurt wanted to keep forever.

“I’m close, fuck, so close. Blaine, shit!” Kurt tripped over his words, spine curling forward as Blaine quickened his pace. 

All it took was a tongue licking at him while he was inside Blaine’s mouth and a final moan around his dick for Kurt to come, body bending forward almost in half as Blaine swallowed down.

Kurt watched with a choked groan as Blaine leaned back, come dribbling from the corner of his mouth. His lips were shiny with spit and come and he was wearing a smile that Kurt swore almost killed him.

“Fuck,” He breathed, sliding to the floor and into Blaine’s arms. There, he licked at the corner of his lips before kissing them, tasting himself on his tongue which he had never found hot until right then.

“Let me make you come.”

“You already have,” Blaine responded, tucking a strand of hair behind Kurt’s ear which he would have found sweeter had his pants not been around his ankles and Blaine’s lips swollen and red, making it obvious what had just occurred. 

“You...” Kurt marveled, watching Blaine grin slowly. “ _Shit._ ”

“That was so hot,” Blaine answered, grabbing his chin to kiss him again, slow and languid. “Sucking you off was all it took to make me come in my pants.”

“Holy shit,” Was all Kurt could mumble as Blaine sucked on his tongue like he was reenacting his earlier actions. 

He watched, heart pounding as Blaine pulled Kurt’s boxer-briefs back up. He was still half hard but a bed sounded nice right about then.

“Never got to get you naked,” He realised, lifting his hips up as Blaine half-heartedly helped pull his pants back up. “I need to get you naked.”

“Getting naked sounds wonderful, we should do that,” Blaine slurred as Kurt pulled him up. He grinned before kissing him. “We should put a post-it on that wall, “first blowjob”.”

Kurt laughed, pulling at Blaine’s belt loops.

They kissed all the way to the bedroom, hands and fingers exploring and teasing. Kurt had a plan and Blaine being dressed wasn’t part of it.

So buttons were undone and skin was revealed and Kurt almost wanted to stop everything just so he could kiss over every inch of Blaine, suck marks into his skin, paint him with them and let Blaine do the same.

But he focused, licking into Blaine’s warm mouth as he finally removed his shirt, undid his pants and watched him sit on the bed so he could remove them. Kurt settled on his knees between Blaine’s legs so he could pull his socks off. 

So he could pepper kisses along his calves, his knees, his thighs. Hearing and categorizing every intake of breath or soft moan. When he started pulling at Blaine’s briefs a hand found his jaw, tilting up so Blaine could kiss him like he needed to.

Blaine pulled him up on top of him, leaning back on the bed so Kurt could lay against him, hand moving between them to pull the last piece of material off of Blaine. 

He was distracted, Blaine’s lips and groans and fingers pulling at his shirt but he succeeded, leaning over Blaine, watching down their bodies with satisfaction as Blaine kicked the briefs off from his ankle.

It’s with a breathless happy noise that he settled back over Blaine to give him a quick kiss before rolling off the bed with the promise of returning quickly.

He walked backwards out of the room while Blaine watched, pulling his shirt off with a grin and letting his pants slip off his hips where they were still undone.

As fast as possible he ran warm water over a washcloth for the dried come still painting Blaine’s skin.

But when he came back Blaine’s mouth was open, eyes closed and features peaceful. He had fallen asleep.

Kurt brought a hand up to his mouth to hide his fond smile. Or laugh, he didn’t know.

Blaine stayed asleep while Kurt gently cleaned him off and pulled his body up the bed, while he rolled him off the quilt and settled it over him, while he finished undressing and joined him, curling up next to him, tucking a leg over his and resting his head on his chest.

“‘Love you,” Kurt mumbled sleepily, pressing a goodnight kiss to his jaw.

~-~-~

Kurt woke up before Blaine. During the night Blaine had somehow gotten closer, legs and arms wrapping around Kurt like an octopus. An octopus who was drooling on Kurt’s shoulder.

Kurt snorted, gently untangling himself and slipping from under the sheet, the only survivor that remained on the bed, barely covering their legs.

Behind him Blaine let out a happy sigh, settling back into the mattress with his head pressed into Kurt’s pillow. Kurt almost laughed at how it left him in a diagonal across the bed.

But his laughter stayed locked in his throat as he caught sight of the sheet which had slipped further down, under where Blaine was hard. With a grin Kurt slid to the end of the bed, laying over Blaine’s thighs.

He  _knew_  this was something Blaine had fantasized about, one night when all the reapers had gotten drunk he had revealed, under slight duress from Puck, wanting to wake up to a mouth over him. He had blushed and giggled while everyone wolf-whistled. 

Kurt had pictured it then,  _wanted it_ and now he had his chance.

He licked his palm before wrapping it around Blaine’s cock. Kurt breathed in shakily, feeling the twitch under his fingers and hearing Blaine groan above him even though he didn’t wake up.

His mouth was dry and his heart was pounding excitedly against his chest, he loved the feeling of Blaine in his hand and the anticipation of using his mouth was making his breathing falter.

Blaine was still sound asleep despite the moan he let out when Kurt tentatively licked along his dick. When nothing happened Kurt grinned before doing it again, slow and deliberate until he reached the head, already slick with precome. With a hum he sucked it into his mouth, letting his lips curl over his teeth as he went down.

He managed to go halfway before Blaine bucked up with a groan, Kurt just swallowed around him, satisfaction thrumming under his skin at Blaine’s increasingly loud noises and uncontrolled twists of his hips.

It’s when Kurt reached his fist and sucked on the uptake, sliding his lips back up, that Blaine stirred awake with a shout.

Kurt rubbed a hand over his hip, both to keep him down when he bucked up into the heat of Kurt’s mouth and to help him come back to the world of the living.

“Fu- Kurt, fuck!” He moaned, hands flailing to find something to hold onto, settling in Kurt’s hair when Kurt reached up to put them there.

Kurt took the thrusts in stride, let Blaine’s cock hit the back of his throat while he hummed satisfiedly. His jaw wasn’t hurting and the tremble in his arms only made the experience better. He loved this, the way Blaine was falling apart beneath his ministrations after having barely woken up.

“Shit, Kurt. You feel so good, fuc- uh!” He hissed when Kurt took him all the way in again and sucked before letting the head press against the inside of his cheek. 

He chose that moment to look up, catching Blaine’s  _wrecked_  look. Kurt batted his eyelashes as innocently as he could as he sped up the pace, using both his mouth and fist to make Blaine scream.

It didn’t take long and when Blaine whimpered out that he was going to come, Kurt just breathed through his nose and sucked harder, closing his eyes at the sounds of Blaine falling apart. He could live off that soundtrack.

Blaine went quiet, then, thighs tensing and body raising as he came down Kurt’s throat with a silent scream. Even after his body collapsed back on the bed he was still whimpering through the end of his orgasm, mumbling Kurt’s name over and over as he shook back to reality.

“That was...” He started, Kurt wondered with satisfaction if he couldn’t find the words or if his voice wouldn’t let him share them.

Kurt pulled off, giving a few more licks before kissing up Blaine’s stomach and chest all the way to his mouth. Blaine was dazed, staring up at him like he was a gift from heaven.

Kurt grinned, leaning down to kiss him, swallowing Blaine’s moan when he opened his mouth for him. After a moment Kurt’s arms gave out, landing him on top of Blaine with a laugh he proceeded to catch with his lips. 

He was so distracted by Blaine’s tongue he didn’t notice Blaine’s hand until it was on him, making him remember just how hard he was and how much he needed to come.

“Wanna fuck me?” Blaine breathed in his ear, like the cruel devil he was.

Kurt choked, struggled to take in enough air as Blaine started jerking him off, not wasting any time while Kurt moaned continuously into his shoulder, unable to hold himself up anymore in any way.

Blaine took advantage of that to roll them over, sitting up without letting go of his dick to settle over his thighs. He started lifting himself up and down while looking straight at Kurt, “I could ride you. Fuck myself on your cock, let you pound into me when I got tired?”

Kurt’s mouth was opened and he distantly wondered if he’d ever be able to close it again.

His thought was answered when Blaine twisted his hand, making Kurt yell out. He was good at that.

The images Blaine was putting in his head were enough to get him right on the edge and Blaine knew it, purposely slowing down his movements before leaning back down to Kurt’s level.

“How do you want me? I could fuck you or I could finger myself for you. I could get on my hands and knees,” He added in a whisper, grinning when Kurt keened, hips arching up.

Blaine kissed him then, all tongues and caught whimpers and accelerated tempos. Kurt was shaking, feet sliding against the sheets in an effort to get closer. 

He grabbed onto Blaine’s shoulders to pull him down again when he tried to lean back but Blaine wouldn’t let him, wouldn’t let him try and hide his noises in a kiss, “I wanna hear you,” He breathed, sounding almost as wrecked as Kurt felt. “Please, let me hear you.”

Kurt whined, his whole body was moving with Blaine’s, half rubbing up against him even when the friction felt like too much between Blaine’s hand and his skin. He could feel that Blaine was hard again, getting off on this as much as he was.

His steady stream of  _ah ah ah_ s was getting louder and he wanted to beg, to scream for Blaine to let him come because he was so close, right there on the edge but he wanted Blaine to fall with him. They were covered in sweat, bodies hot and trembling.

He snapped with a yell, throat burning as he came to the sounds of Blaine’s “come on, come on”, fire burning through his body and lasting far longer than usual, leaving him gasping and grabbing onto Blaine like a lifeline, like he could get lost in the world of white-hot pleasure and never come back.

But he did, Blaine’s body against his, spent and damp and scorching and so beautiful.

He would almost feel sad he missed Blaine coming but all he could focus on was Blaine’s fingers against his ribs and the sound of their panting.

“I feel like I just ran through a lot of sprinklers. The ones in the ground, that water grass, and things.”

“Feeling wet and out of breath?” Kurt asked, laughing as he agreed.

“Is sex gonna be like this every time? Not that I mind, obviously, but fuck.”

“Intense.”

“Yeah.”

Kurt grinned, looking down at Blaine on his chest, head moving up and down with Kurt’s ragged breathing.

“Shower?”

Blaine grinned right back, “ _Yes._ ”

Getting out of bed was a task on its own, but they managed, pulling the sheet off as they went. 

Seeing themselves in the mirror was a strange experience. Naked, sweaty and obviously well-fucked even if it wasn’t their real faces. It was a hot image, especially when Blaine wrapped an around around him from behind and pulled him in before kissing his neck.

“This is the first time I’ve ever felt so connected with my alter-self.” Kurt breathed, letting his head fall back against Blaine. “Also I never noticed but his cock’s smaller than mine,” He added with a laugh.

Blaine snorted, glancing at the mirror before peering down Kurt’s body. Kurt’s dick made an impressive attempt at getting hard again. 

After Kurt set the water to run they clambered in, happy to just stand under the spray with their arms around each other. Kissing felt good, like coming home after a long trip. 

They let the water fall over them, washing away the heat still burning under their skin. Kurt watched Blaine bring their hands up, curling his fingers between Kurt’s under the spray as he kissed him again and again until the water ran warm, then cold.

If Kurt pressed Blaine against the counter and kissed him until they were both almost hard again without the possibility of release, they didn’t talk about it. They complained about it. All the way to the diner.

This time, they were there a good ten minutes early, settling in the booth where Emma was already drinking her tea. She smiled at them, politely, but Kurt knew she was holding a huge grin back.

Blaine seemed to realise the same thing by the way he shrugged in a “screw it” kind of way before leaning into Kurt’s chest, pulling his arm over his shoulder so he could hold Kurt’s hand over his stomach.

Emma stopped holding back after that.

Sue barely threw them a second glance as she sat down at her usual stolen chair. Kurt’s heart was pounding because they hadn’t seen her come in, it wasn’t time yet. But she went on as if nothing was different, as if Blaine wasn’t pretty much cuddled up to Kurt on their side of the booth.

Puck and Mike seemed just as surprised as they joined them, sitting down gingerly, giving the table questioning glances.

Blaine kept trying to make aborted motions to move but seemed to think better of it or give up midway. 

“Puck you’re the only one with a reap. It’s a calm day among the living today.”

Puck didn’t even complain, he was still in shock just like the rest of the table.

“Um, Sue?” Kurt dared to ask, causing her to look up expectantly, gesturing for him to continue.

When he didn’t, she looked back down to her agenda, giving Puck his post-it before putting it away.

Even Tina could tell something was in the air as she served them all some coffee. Considering how often they came to the diner, the coffee was free for them.

“Fine. You’re waiting for me to say something about Porcelain and Blanderson?”

Everyone kind of nodded dumbly.

“Congratulations,” She said, removing her glasses and putting them away. “Just like the rest of you I saw it coming. It was either gonna be Kurt and Blaine or Mike and Blaine. I had my bets on Kurt’s assets.” 

Kurt raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should feel offended or not.

Mike looked proud, giving Blaine wiggling eyebrows.

Puck really did look offended, like not even being in the mix upset him.

Emma just kept taking pretend sips out of her empty cup of tea.

Blaine was hiding his grin behind their joined hands.

Sue finally looked up at them, “As I said, congratulations. Be good to each other. When it’s time to talk about it you’ll know.”

It wasn’t a threat or a warning, it was kind words followed by a snarky smile that meant fond in her world. 

After that she left.

“Sylvester approval, nicely done, Hummerson. Oh, man, the word hummer is actually in your future married name!”

Kurt snorted, hiding his face in Blaine’s hair. It was nice having someone to hide behind. And kiss. The kissing was nice.

“Anderhummel, that’s what should be on the invites.” Mike corrected.

“You know, for a career where everyone is supposedly dead we sure use last names a lot,” Blaine grumbled, picking at Kurt’s sweater.

Everyone burst out laughing.

~-~-~

That afternoon Mike took Blaine around the city to get some legal things in order and maybe find a job. They had spent a few hours in the diner forging a resume to hand out in various places.

None of Puck’s contributions were added. 

Meanwhile, Kurt had to return to work. His boss, Isabelle, had called that morning with a request to see him there that afternoon so, after lunch with everyone, he headed to the mattress store.

Not before giving Blaine a kiss goodbye, much to everyone’s entertained pleasure.

It was strange, being back at work. He had always felt like he didn’t belong there but now the feeling was stronger. It wasn’t even that he wanted to be near Blaine, he just didn’t want to be there. It didn’t feel like enough.

Blaine coming and meeting him after he had clocked out brightened his day, however.

With a smirk, Kurt pulled him through the “employees only” door which lead to all the stored mattresses. It’s with a satisfyingly grand amount of pleasure that he pushed Blaine onto one and climbed over him to kiss him.

“This is so inappropriate,” Blaine mumbled against his lips but he was kissing back without any hesitation. “What if you get fired?”

“Would it be such a bad thing?” Kurt answered, giving up on Blaine’s lips that were insisting on talking and focusing on his jaw and neck.

“Hey, hey,” Blaine said gently, leaning back to look at him. “You don’t want to be here?”

Kurt pouted down at him before sighing and leaning his head against Blaine’s chest.

“No. It was fine at first because I just needed the extra money for rent and... um, clothes. What? My alter-ego doesn’t have the same skin tone as me.”

“Hey, man, I have plans to go break into my old house to get the cash that’s hidden in the wall just to get myself a whole new wardrobe. I would never judge.”

Kurt snorted, fiddling with the top button of Blaine’s shirt.

“I want to quit,” He confessed, both to Blaine and himself.

“What about your volunteer position at the library?”

Kurt thought about it for a bit, “No, I wanna stay there. Why?”

“Because I kind of got a job at that school. I’m gonna be a teacher’s assistant, or the elementary school version of that. The person running it is apparently a... plague reaper, I think Mike called it?”

“Yeah, they’re the poor fuckers who take the souls of those with the plague. They’re pretty much stuck on this plane forever. Unless the bubonic plague happens again. They’re usually the ones with the coolest jobs, they’ve been around for a very long time.”

Blaine made an impressed noise. “Well, this guy was really cool. He gave me the job even though I had no experience. I went to Yale for law, not teaching.”

“You’ll be really great at it,” Kurt whispered, a smile on his lips. “I can see you being really amazing at it.”

Blaine looked down at him, “You think?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Kurt leaned up to press a gentle kiss to Blaine’s smiling mouth.

“What about you? What would you want to do? What would you want to be good at?”

“Fashion?” Kurt suggested with a laugh, but Blaine stayed serious.

“Would you be satisfied with that?”

“Back when I was alive, yeah. Now? I don’t know. I don’t think so...”

Blaine rubbed a hand over his back, a comforting gesture Kurt could easily get used to.

“You’re very good with people, with talking. Helping. What about something in that?”

Kurt hummed, “Maybe, yeah, that could be an idea.”

“Think about it, yeah? This is a big decision, don’t take it lightly and don’t let me affect it. This has to be on you, I’ll just be here in the sidelines cheering you on, bringing you macaroni glitter cards. And paste.”

Kurt giggled, he couldn’t help it, nuzzling his face into Blaine’s chest, he giggled. 

They only moved when the main lights went off, informing them the store was closed. Blaine whined when Kurt went to get up, pulling him back into his arms with a satisfied noise.

“Blaine,” Kurt laughed, his second attempt at getting up being countered by both Blaine’s arms and legs. “We can’t stay here all night!”

“Says who? Before long you won’t be working here anymore, we’ll never get to do this again!”

Kurt leaned on his elbow, staring down at Blaine. Apparently it wasn’t threatening so Blaine let him.

“Sleepover in a mattress store?”

“Sounds like the greatest plan to me!” Blaine announced, giving Kurt his most dazzling smile.

“Christ, you really are a kindergarten teacher.”

“Hey, KG through 5th. I know the lingo now, don’t mess with me.”

Kurt burst out laughing, falling back onto Blaine.

“So, come on, sleepover?”

“A sleepover in a mattress store?” A voice behind them said

Blaine tensed under him while Kurt laughed, “That’s what I said!”

“Mhm, I don’t know, Kurt, I think you’re boyfriend has his finger on something. And I hope it’s not anything inappropriate because this is a place of business. Wait until the sign is turned, at least.”

Kurt leaned away enough to grin at Isabelle while Blaine looked on, confused.

“Blaine An-Williams, this is my boss, Isabelle Wright.”

“Oh! Um, pleasure meeting you!” Blaine rushed to say. Kurt felt him almost reach out a hand to shake but then thought better of it.

“Likewise. So, Kurt, you wanna give Blaine here the full mattress treatment? Again, not in a dirty way. You want the keys?” 

Kurt looked down at Blaine, just to make sure, before he nodded. This time when Kurt pulled away to sit up, he let him. Kurt still heard his sad little noise.

Isabelle handed him a set of keys with a wink before walking off, throwing a “Night!” over her shoulder. Right before she opened the door she turned back to them, “Oh, and if you invite that Puck guy, make sure he doesn’t do inappropriate things in front of the cameras?”

And with that she was gone.

Blaine snorted. “Your boss. Is awesome.”

Kurt grinned, “Yeah, she really is.”

“So should we call the rest of the cavalry? Make them bring snacks?”

Kurt nodded, “Actually yeah, that sounds like a good idea! Super sleepover.”

Pulling his phone out, Blaine started on a mass text.

“Should I make them go get us some PJs?”

“Oh, no, I have an idea for that.” Kurt announced with an evil smile.

“Kurt, I don’t think sleeping naked would be appropriate, what with all our friends being there.”

Kurt just smiled wider, pulling Blaine up off the bed. “Although that’s an awesome plan, mine is better.”

~-~-~

“Holy shit.”

Kurt grinned while Blaine looked around the storage room.

“Every few months we host commercials for the store, hundred of people come over to film them. It’s a whole thing. Sometimes we even hire glee clubs.”

“How many sets of pajamas does this place own!?”

“Mhm, I don’t think anyone ever had the courage to count, but this isn’t even the half of it. There are a good hundred more boxes in the loading dock.”

“I repeat, holy shit.” Blaine mumbled, still looking around the room which was filled with shelves and boxes holding thousands of pairs of pyjamas in every color. “I’m texting everyone again to tell them not to bring pjs. We’ve got them covered. Oh! We should color code!”

Kurt laughed. “Oh, my god I love you so much,” He sighed happily, kissing Blaine’s cheek as he sent out another mass text.

Blaine grinned at him, “I love you, too.”

~-~-~

Forty minutes later, everyone was there. Emma looked reluctant while Mike and Puck looked ridiculously excited.

Puck’s excitement dwindled a little when Kurt and Blaine handed everyone their pyjama sets. Then he looked at them closer, then he was back to grinning, stripping down right in front of them to get them on.

Emma squeaked and turned away. Kurt used the opportunity to promise her they were brand new and antibacterial. She seemed satisfied as she grabbed them and walked off towards the ladies bathroom.

When Kurt turned back around Mike and Puck were already in their baby blue set, hands on their hips with huge smiles on their faces while Blaine hid his behind his fingers.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Alright, boys, bring all the food and whatnot over to the counters and pick your beds. Also stretch, trust me when I say you’re gonna need to stretch.”

“Are you two gonna go... change?” Puck asked with an eyebrow wiggle.

“Nah, we’re gonna go have sex!” Kurt called over his shoulder, pulling a giggling Blaine with him.

They passed Emma on the way who looked like she didn’t know whether to be appalled or proud.

Once back in the storage room Kurt pushed Blaine back against the door, pressed kiss after kiss to Blaine’s smiling mouth, never lingering long enough.

Blaine’s hands scratched up and down his back, making his shirt raise up to his chest.

“You trying to get me naked, Kurt Hummel?”

“It was part of my plan all along,” Kurt whispered right back before finally kissing Blaine like he wanted to, no teasing just swallowing down all his delighted to turned-on noises.

Blaine raised his arms when Kurt pulled his shirt over his head and off, grabbing onto the back of his neck to kiss him again. 

He gasped when Blaine dragged his knuckles by his stomach before pushing his jeans down, guiding the material with thorough hands, curving along Kurt’s ass and thighs and kissing his way back up. Bending down to kiss every inch of skin revealed by each undone button of his shirt.

Kurt took it off before Blaine was done. 

“Hey, I was busy,” Blaine murmured, biting at one of Kurt’s newly exposed nipples.

“I wanted your mouth back on mine,” Kurt said around a moan as Blaine turned his attention to the other side.

“I can do that,” He whispered with a disarming smile before he captured Kurt’s mouth in a biting kiss, the kind that makes you moan without meaning to and legs feel weak under you.

Kurt was just about to reach for Blaine’s pants when Blaine rubbed a hand against Kurt’s crotch making him moan against his cheek. 

“Do you think I could make you fall apart before they came looking for us?”

Kurt growled, biting down on Blaine’s bottom lip before answering, “Most definitely.”

Wasting no time Blaine pulled Kurt’s boxer shorts down before turning around, leaning against the wall.

“Fuck,” Kurt choked. He didn’t see that coming.

“That’s the plan, fuck my thighs. Come on,” Blaine whined, rubbing himself back on Kurt’s erection.

“You are unbelievable,” He breathed before complying, trying to keep his breathing stable as he watched Blaine spit in his hand and pull his pants down enough for him to spread his legs the slightest bit. Enough for Kurt to fit. “Jesus,  _Blaine_.”

He was leaking enough precome for the slide to be on the easier side of too dry but it felt good, Blaine’s thighs warm and tight around him. “Yeah, like that, come on.”

Kurt settled closer, chest pressing to Blaine’s naked back, he guided himself back between Blaine’s legs, watching with awe as half of him slid in and out, now slick with the mess between Blaine’s thighs.

The bend was slightly awkward and his movements were more limited than he would have wanted but the heat and friction was enough to bring him to the edge fast.

But then Blaine reached back and spread himself, head turned as he thrust back, a whine in his throat. “Please, Kurt.”

Kurt almost came, grabbing the base of his dick to guide it between Blaine’s cheeks, jaw slacked as he slid up, making Blaine moan brokenly when the head caught on his rim.

Blaine was reaching back, little pleas falling from his lips for him to go faster as he moved with Kurt’s trusts, leaning his forehead against the door.

Kurt was panting, holding on tight to Blaine’s waist with one hand and reaching for Blaine’s cock with the other, gasping as Blaine mewled, ass tightening around Kurt when he tensed. Blaine fucked up into his fist before fucking back down against Kurt’s dick, hips moving sinfully while Kurt watched.

He was coming before he knew what was happening, he was so focused on how Blaine looked he didn’t recognise the signs, the way his whole body tensed before reaching orgasm, come shooting up Blaine’s back before sliding back down between his cheeks.

It was obscene and gorgeous all the same, especially when Blaine keened, fucking himself back faster, using the come to make the slide easier. Kurt reached over to resume jerking him off where his hand had paused in shock at the force of his orgasm.

He moved his fist fast and unforgiving while Blaine panted, head thrown back against his shoulder, body curving forward perfectly as he came with a shout. 

Chest heaving Blaine fell back against Kurt’s chest. “Fuck.”

“Pretty much.”

“Why did we think getting jobs was a good idea? We should be staying home all day doing  _that_ ,” Blaine wheezed with a laugh.

They both jumped when someone pounded on the door.

“You also have friends! We made margaritas, get your horny asses out here!” Puck yelled through the door.

Kurt smothered his laughter into Blaine’s shoulder.

After a quick cleanup they changed into their chosen pyjamas and attempted to fix each other’s hair in vain all while grinning at each other before joining the others at the front of the store.

Kurt pointedly ignored everyone as he took the margarita awaiting him.

It didn’t take long before everyone was liberatingly tipsy and dancing unstably over a mass of mattresses. One of the greatest parts of being a reaper was the promise of no hangovers, giving them the freedom of drinking as much as they wanted.

In Kurt’s case, it wasn’t that much. All he needed was the gentle buzz of alcohol in his veins, enough to keep him floating without losing any control, or time, or memories. 

He wanted all his capacities for jumping. Because jumping was in his plans. Preferably without falling.

Much to his surprise, none of them crossed the line into drunk, all too excited about the prospect of mattresses. Even Emma.

Didn’t stop them from falling a good dozen times, though. 

It was a flurry of baby blue bodies jumping from bed to bed, laughing and giggling and squawking whenever someone would cross their path. 

Mike showed off his amazing dance moves in the air, using gravity as his dance floor. 

Puck went bouncing around looking for the springiest beds to jump the highest. 

Emma seemed to enjoy the sensation that came with floating followed by the feeling of falling.

Blaine was trying to get in as many jumps as humanly possible or the biggest surface manageable, which led to trying to go the longest distance between mattresses. All done while giggling and flapping his arms around manically. 

Kurt did a mix of everything. 

It was 4am by the time everyone collapsed onto two mattresses. Kurt and Blaine on one, Mike and Emma on another and Puck between them. It took an hour before he fell through the crack, making everyone burst out laughing despite being woken up by Puck’s yell.

They managed to sleep through Kurt’s coworkers and boss arriving, through the lights coming on, through the store opening. 

It wasn’t until someone poked at his nose that Kurt woke up. He stared up at a little girl with her finger outstretched towards him.

“Hi?” Kurt asked.

“Are you a prince?” She responded, going in for his nose again.

“Um, I... wh-”

“He is a prince,” Blaine piped up from next to Kurt. “What about you, are you a princess?”

“I am. But my favorite color is green, not pink.”

“Mine’s purple.” Blaine grinned up at her, leaning his chin over Kurt’s shoulder.

“Are you a prince, too?” She asked with a tilt of her head.

“I’m his prince, and he’s mine.”

She grinned, booped Kurt’s nose again for good measure, bowed and walked away.

“The store’s open isn’t it?” Kurt mumbled as the implications of what had just happened started to make sense.

“Seems like it...” Blaine yawned, settling back against Kurt. “They probably think we’re real-life displays.”

“Displays who managed to sleep through the place opening.”

“Hey, if that’s not proof that these are damn fine beds I don’t know what is,” Blaine quipped with a grin.

Kurt snorted before sitting up, batting Blaine’s hands when they tried to pull him back down with a whine from their owner.

His eyes stopped on Puck’s sleeping form for a second, starfished over half the bed forcing Blaine and Kurt into the corner. With an eyeroll and a smile Kurt reached over to poke at him.

“Mswat?”

“The store’s alive. People are staring.”

Puck sighed happily, nuzzling into the pillow made of his jacket. Apparently they had been too tired to go sleep on the display beds that actually had sheets and pillows.

“So let them stare.”

Kurt was suddenly really glad Emma had taken the time to clean up their cocktail making factory before passing out. 

“Good morning, Kurt!” Isabelle greeted from next to their bed. When Kurt looked up, she was grinning.

“We, uh.”

“No need, sweetie. I told the rest of the gang to let you guys sleep, you all looked too adorable to disturb. Plus I’m pretty sure you’re doing wonders for the business.”

“You’re the weirdest yet coolest boss,” Kurt laughed.

“But I’m not the one for you,” Isabelle said with a fond smile and expectant eyebrows.

“Oh, you heard that part?” Kurt asked, sitting up fully now.

“I was in the security room shutting everything down and I heard you two talking, yeah.”

“I had forgotten about the cameras in there...” Kurt blanched. “Um, are there any in the little storage room?”

Isabelle laughed, “No, don’t worry, none in there and I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Puck chose that moment to be awake enough to snort and reach over to give Kurt a sleepy high five. Kurt rolled his eyes and granted him one.

“No matter what, your pay stays until you find somewhere else. Come in or not, I don’t mind, just find what you want to do, Kurt. Find what you love and what you can see yourself doing for the rest of your time on this earth.”

Kurt swallowed and cleared his throat, using the time to blink away the tears in his eyes.

“You’ll be fine, sweetie. I knew you weren’t gonna be working here forever, you’re too good for this place. Come here,” She gestured, gathering him in her arms when he stood up with a sniff.

“Thank you for everything,” He mumbled into her hair.

“Come by and see us every once in a while, yeah? Make sure I’m staying on point fashion wise?”

Kurt laughed, “Oh, please, you know you’ve already got that down, no problem.”

With a pat on his ass and a huge smile to both him and Blaine (and Puck) she swayed away. All tall heels and long hair and beautiful dress.

That day, Blaine dragged him to a career counselor. He whined and moaned the whole way but he was secretly excited about the prospect of finding what could be his purpose among the living.

Job hunting, still a pain in the ass even after you’re dead. Finding a career? Even harder.

The rest of the week was a flurry of appointments and questionnaires Emma kept finding in magazines and meeting people to network with. It was exhilarating. 

But then every night would come the crash of adrenaline. He would come home to his warm apartment where the furniture was a growing mix of Kurt and Blaine’s choices. 

He would find Blaine reading or watching television or working on the computer and forget all about the rush of constantly being on the move, he would get to curl up with the man he loves and tell him all about the fails and trials and successes of the day. 

He would let himself recharge through love and domestic bliss and cooking real food side by side before eating it on the living room carpet. He would brush his teeth with a gentle hand on his back, or a responding foamy grin from next to him. 

He would fall asleep to the noises of Blaine turning the pages of a book or the sounds of his breathing, listening to it evening out against his back or against his neck.

He would live more in his few hours at home with Blaine than the fast paced world outside their door.

For eight days it went on. After the morning meeting at the diner and the reaps if he had any, he would go around the city looking for his place. The one that wasn’t by Blaine’s side.

Sometimes Blaine would come with him and others it would be Mike and on several occasions it was Emma or Sue. Puck came once, it was a mistake.

So it was on the eighth day that things went right. Grief counseling. It was a shot in the dark that hit just right. He found a centre two subway stops away from their place, it was run by reapers for natural death whom he had gotten in touch with through Sue’s connections. 

He had been reluctant at first, scared of the morose aspect of the job. He wasn’t afraid of death by any means but dealing with grief and sadness first hand wasn’t something he thought he’d be good at. 

But the more he talked with the people who had made it did their mission to help families and friends see the good in the world again, the more he realised how much of a perfect match it could be.

He wanted to help and this could be his way of doing so. It wasn’t about death, it was about living again. It took time, it took support and Kurt wanted to be just that, a helping factor.

Kurt accepted the job that day before rushing home.

Blaine was already there by the time he opened the door. Teacher’s hours were the greatest thing.

Removing his coat and putting his keys in their usual bowl he watched as Blaine cooked with his headphones in, shimmying his hips to a beat only he could hear. It made for an adorable image.

Blaine didn’t jump when Kurt came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck. “I may have found a job,” He whispered there, grinning when he heard Blaine gasp.

He turned around so fast Kurt almost fell back but Blaine was grabbing onto his face and kissing him like he could make Kurt understand every emotion that was playing in his head with that press of his lips. Kurt didn’t even care Blaine got some kind of green mashed mixture in his hair.

“Kurt! Kurt, that’s amazing! Wh-”

Kurt cut him off, suddenly taken by the realisation that this man, this person that was grinning like Kurt had just given him the world, was in his life. Was part of his life. So he kissed him, he leaned into his body and kissed him with everything he had.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Because I’ve heard the stories of soulmates among reapers. Not soulmates chosen by fate or a list but by chance. Two reapers falling in love is the one thing Death can’t control or foresee."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter woohoo!
> 
> Kink warnings: Again, extreme sensitivity (because reapers), versatility, barebacking (Not only in a loving committed relationship but also in a situation where it’s completely safe, because reapers), rough sex, mentions of sex toys. I think that's it?

Kurt cut him off, suddenly taken by the realisation that this man, this person that was grinning like Kurt had just given him the world, was in his life. Was part of his life. So he kissed him, he leaned into his body and kissed him with everything he had.

And it was a lot, because he was floating, he had found his place among the living, he had found his place at home and it included Blaine. Blaine who was sighing into his mouth and kissing back with as much as he got.

It was like flipping a switch, pressing a button that made everything click. Blaine was his home and they hadn’t had sex in eight days.

“Unacceptable,” Kurt mumbled, going for Blaine’s shirt with hands already shaking in anticipation. Blaine didn’t question him, just let go of Kurt’s face long enough to let the shirt fall from his shoulders.

He was wearing an undershirt. Kurt huffed out in frustration, pulling at the material and getting distracted by the hands caressing his back. 

“You’re distracting,” He breathed, breaking the kiss for less than a second before leaning back in, but Blaine leaned away, making him chase his mouth with a frustrated whine. Blaine was grinning, keeping his lips away from Kurt’s reach.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” He asked, holding Kurt’s face still and looking straight at him, thumbing at his bottom lip before leaning up to whisper against it. “What am I again?”

“A damn distraction,” Kurt growled, biting on the thumb by his mouth. “ _My_  distraction.”

Blaine smiled wider before lifting Kurt onto the counter, leaning into him, settling between his spread legs. “How about now,” He murmured, kissing at Kurt’s jaw, neck, collar.

It’s with insanely slow and deliberate hands that he pulled Kurt’s shirt up, not off, pushing it up Kurt’s chest so he could lick at the skin. It was torturous, the way he kissed and sucked at each section of skin, leaving it feeling electric.

Kurt’s hips cantered up every time Blaine changed course or went from teasing to hard and back. 

By the time Blaine was on his knees mouthing at the sensitive skin right past Kurt’s shorts, the ones that Blaine had pulled down the barest bit, Kurt was trembling. Blaine’s hands were trailing up and down Kurt’s thighs and Kurt could feel them burning his skin through his jeans.

He felt vulnerable in every sense and it turned him on in the most mind-shattering way. He had the utmost faith and trust in Blaine, to make him feel good, to make him feel safe; to make him feel loved.

And to make him scream with pleasure. 

Which is what happened ridiculously fast as Blaine sucked at Kurt through his jeans, mouth hot and wide and wet over him like he was trying to blow Kurt through the materiel. 

Things accelerated after that, Blaine rushed back up to kiss Kurt hard and fast, like keeping them from kissing had frustrated him just as much. 

Kurt was moaning non-stop by then, shifting his hips up against anything that could give him friction which Blaine didn’t give. 

Even as he completely undid Kurt pants and started to pull them down, underwear and all, making Kurt hold himself up on his arms on the counter, he made sure not to touch Kurt, leaving him almost naked and panting, head dropped against the kitchen cabinets.

“ _Please, Blaine._ ”

Blaine ran his nail along the inside of Kurt’s thighs, stopping right as he reached his cock. Kurt gave a frustrated thrust up, hoping to hit Blaine in the face with his dick. Blaine just grinned, spreading Kurt’s legs further and placing his mouth right at the junction of Kurt’s thigh.

He sucked before leaning back and asking, “Please what?” cold air hitting the spot making Kurt keen.

“Touch m- Ah!” Kurt yelled as Blaine rubbed his cheek against his cock, knowing fully well that by then, nothing but that would make him moan. And moan he did, head thrown back as his hips fucked up. He grabbed onto the top of the cabinets, a desperate attempt to not lose control.

“What do you want, sweetheart,” Blaine whispered, kissing up his chest before biting at marks he’d made earlier, keeping them from fading and insuring their place on Kurt’s skin.

Blaine didn’t stop while Kurt tried to find words, he kept kissing up past his neck in favor of his outstretched arms, biting at the muscles there with a happy hum that made Kurt’s skin vibrate.

“Fuck me,” He finally growled out right before Blaine kissed him again, it was so deep and borderlining on rough Kurt could only drop his arms to wrap them around Blaine’s shoulders.

Blaine rubbed against him, still mostly dressed which Kurt had to rectify, reaching between them to make quick work of his fly before pushing them down as much as he could from his perch on the counter. 

Blaine was back on him in a second, licking into his mouth and thrusting their cocks together with a high moan Kurt sucked off his tongue. 

“Want you to fuck me,” Kurt reiterated, the demand giddy on his lips.

“ _Shit,_ ” Blaine breathed against his cheek.

“Who’s the distraction now?” He whispered into Blaine’s ear, wrapping his legs around his waist to grind against him, skin on skin. 

“Fuck, I love you,” Was the growled response as Blaine curled forward and swallowed Kurt’s cock down in one go before tightening his lips around him.

Kurt screamed, legs falling away, his body spasmed against the warmth of Blaine’s mouth, the perfect, tight, heat.

“Shit, shit, Blaine!”

For a second the heat was gone, Blaine’s hands on his thighs going with them as Blaine rushed over to his bag by the entryway to get a bottle of lube from it, removing his undershirt on the way.

Kurt smirked, spreading his legs further just to see Blaine’s reaction. He wasn’t disappointed. Blaine swallowed, biting down on his lip hard to keep from making a noise he still made in his throat.

Blaine didn’t run back towards him, he walked, slowly. Step by step, eyes roaming over Kurt like he couldn’t quite believe this was happening, this was real. Kurt felt similarly, he knew the look.

But then Blaine was there in front of him, lips swollen and kiss bitten and Kurt wanted to soothe them before starting over. The kiss was languid and deep, hands following the same tempo as they dug into skin and muscle.

Kurt stared down as Blaine lubed up his fingers, careful and thorough. Kurt was nodding before Blaine even looked up to ask his permission, he smiled, biting down on his lip and letting Kurt suck it into his own mouth.

The first two fingers slid in easily, smooth and wet and Kurt whimpered at the sensation, it felt so good. Somehow better because it was Blaine doing it, Blaine’s fingers, Blaine’s kisses along his shoulder.

“Yeah?” He asked, panting against the skin like he was as affected as Kurt was.

“So good, Blaine.  _Oh_! More,” He added, hips already moving with the motion. 

He was so turned on the third finger joined the first two with an ease he wasn’t used to, usually he wasn’t hard during prep, wasn’t canting his hips up, trying to fuck himself back on the fingers as Blaine worked them in and out.

Blaine was so good at reading Kurt’s body, like an instrument he had perfected and Kurt loved it, the way Blaine knew when to go slower to tease and keep him from coming and when to go harder to leave him on his toes. 

He was fucking him just right, fingers deliciously long and it didn’t take much time until Kurt was begging him for harder, faster,  _more_.

Kurt was grinning by the time Blaine removed his fingers, he looked wrecked and so incredibly turned on. 

“Gonna fuck me, now?” Kurt teased, knowing Blaine was trying to catch his breath. Stealing it again was wonderfully satisfying. 

Blaine kissed him, then. Loving and gentle, like he was attempting to calm his heart-rate by drowning his senses in Kurt.

When Blaine held up his finger in a “just a minute” gesture Kurt grabbed his arm before he could get to his bag. He shook his head. “I want to feel you. I’m a silly romantic. Plus I know it’s safe, reapers don’t get STDs, or sick, for that matter. Well, if we do it’s not a human thing, but none of that is sex related. I did my resea-”

“Are you nervous?”

Kurt bit his lip, thinking about it. “No, trust me, it’s all excitement. And impatience. I babble when I’m frustrated.”

Blaine laughed, taking the hand still curled around his arm and bringing it to his lips, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s fingers.

“No condom, then.”

And Kurt didn’t ask if he was sure because he knew, they didn’t lie to each other, they heard and read everything between the lines. 

So Kurt reached for the bottle, abandoned on the counter by his hip. “So, how do you want me?” He asked innocently, repeating back the words Blaine had said days ago, words that had stayed at the forefront of Kurt’s mind since.

Blaine choked on nothing, breathing heavily through his nose as he rested his forehead to Kurt’s.

“Any way you want. Are you comfortable like this?” He asked, once his voice was back.

Kurt grinned, “Depends, are you still comfortable making food here? Because if you are then I don’t think you fucking me is gonna change that.”

Blaine scrunched his nose up adorably. “I don’t think I can make it to the bed...”

“Considering this conversation hasn’t made my cock go soft, I doubt I’d make it either.”

With a growl Blaine leaned forward, grabbing onto his face to kiss him. “You drive me crazy,” He whispered against his mouth.

“It’s a gift. Now shut up and fuck me.”

Kurt slicked his hands up with lube, warming it up before reaching down to grab Blaine’s dick, feeling it jump in his hand and Blaine’s moan against his lips. 

Blaine was watching him, staring right at him like he was the only thing in the world at that moment, it set Kurt’s skin on fire, made his pulse racket up. It was intense in a way he wasn’t used to and he wanted it to last until his sanity was gone, until nothing mattered, until they flew right past forever.

So he kissed him, cupped his cheeks and pulled him in, gasping when his cock rubbed against his stretched hole. He wanted more, he wanted everything Blaine could give him, so he reached between them again and lined Blaine up before pushing his hips down at the right angle, Blaine’s the one who slowed him down, breath punching out of him as he entered him.

“Fuck,  _Kurt._ ”

It was insane how good it felt, right at the start. Even the pressure, the blunt feeling of fullness left Kurt breathless, had him knocking his head against the cabinet. Had him scrambling at Blaine’s back for more, for him to push in deeper.

But even the slow push, the way Blaine was so careful with his hips made Kurt’s blood burn hot, the constant and growing wave of pleasure rushing through his veins, reaching every part of his body. He could feel it  _everywhere_.

He didn’t know if it was a reaper thing, or a  _them_  thing but it was almost blinding how good it felt when Blaine pulled almost all the way out and gently pushed back in, arms wrapping around Kurt’s thighs to help guide him.

Kurt was already losing control of his vocal chords, barely keeping his moans in as Blaine fucked in deeper with every grind of his hips, still slow and smooth.

“Blaine, shit. Feels so good,” He cried, moving his hips in time with Blaine’s fastening thrusts. “Come on,  _fuck me_!”

Blaine moaned against his neck, hips speeding up the slightest bit. The pace was still careful, gentle like he was scared going too fast would break them. Kurt thought it might but he wanted it, all their experiences so far pointed towards something more intense, something humans didn’t have, didn’t feel. Either that or all the sex Kurt’d had in his lifetime was simply boring and terrible.

Kurt grabbed onto his legs, telling Blaine with his eyes to stop being careful, to stop holding back. It was all pleasure by then, all perfect sparks with each slide in and out. 

But then Blaine let go of his thighs and grabbed onto his hips and fucked in deep, cock pressing into Kurt’s prostate with the perfect, higher angle. 

Kurt almost came with a yell, he’s pretty sure the only reason he didn’t was because of how hard he knocked his head into the cupboard but he didn’t even notice. Instead he focused on Blaine’s moan as he fucked in again, harder with each snap of his hips. 

He focused on how good it felt, how quickly his voice was gonna die on him, it already felt raw in his throat every time he groaned as Blaine started really pounding into him. 

“God, Kurt, fuck!” Blaine cried out, finally giving it his all, thumbs digging into Kurt’s hips as he fucked into him, rhythm hard and unforgiving in the most perfect of ways.

On a moan he felt down in his stomach Kurt wrapped his legs around Blaine’s waist and pulled him close to kiss him, to feel him deeper. So he could feel the skin of his chest against his as he fucked him with everything he had.

They moved together, nails digging at each other’s skin, lips sliding together roughly without finesse as Kurt started moaning continuously, losing his ability to kiss back entirely. Blaine’s cock felt so perfect in him, grinding into him as he slowed down a little, giving sharp thrusts forward, making Kurt keen with every single one.

“Harder, please, Blaine! Fuck me!” Kurt hissed on a particularly slow pull-out.

Blaine obliged, biting down at Kurt’s shoulder as he fucked back in, not wasting any time before pulling back out and driving in again. Kurt shouted, coming so hard his body convulsed without even being touched, tightening around Blaine as he dug his fingers in his hair.

It took so long for Kurt to come down he could barely feel his limbs, just the feeling of Blaine pounding into him without rhythm as he tethered on the edge. “Come, Blaine. Come in me,” Kurt whispered in Blaine’s ear which was all it took. Blaine shook as he stilled inside Kurt, voice dying halfway through a yell.

Before he could even think about it Kurt was kissing Blaine again, fingers shaking against his temple as he snaked his tongue inside his mouth, licking at him like that’s all it would take for him to find enough energy to go a second round.

“I think my brain just shut down and rebooted,” Blaine wheezed, chest heaving against Kurt’s.

“Are you a computer now? I could make sex robot jokes but I can’t come up with anything other than “fuck” right now.”

“Well I’m confused about my humanity now because no orgasm has ever felt that good and I’ve had some pretty spectacular solo sessions that involved things that vibrated.”

“That good, huh?” Kurt mumbled, pressing kisses all over Blaine’s face.

“Like you don’t know, you were there with me. My ears are still ringing from your final scream there.”

Kurt grinned, “Mine would probably be ringing too had you not run out of steam halfway through.”

Blaine huffed out a laugh, “You shot my voice, and I’m a trained singer, it’s a hard thing to do.”

“Mhm, I made the great Blaine Anderson come his voice out.” Kurt preened, playing with Blaine’s hair. “Do I win a prize?”

“You get me,” Blaine responded, tilting his chin up with a finger to kiss him gently.

“You’re still in me, does that annul my future prize? Because I’m planning on getting you many many times,sweetheart.”

Blaine laughed, biting his bottom lip as he pulled out slowly. Neither of them hissed but rather moaned instead, the slick rub against sensitive skin intense, on the good side of too much.

“Fuck,” Blaine breathed, watching his cock slip out of Kurt, come already keeping it linked and slick. Kurt bit his lip, the image making his dick twitch against oversensitivity. 

Blaine closed his eyes, swallowing down whatever thoughts he was having and Kurt smirked, greeting him with a raised eyebrow as he opened his eyes again.

“What? I’ve never... done this, without a condom, I mean. It’s hot,” Blaine added after a beat, blinking up at Kurt who was grinning. “Shut up!”

Kurt laughed, hooking his ankles around Blaine’s calves to pull him closer. “You wanna know how it feels, don’t you?” He whispered near his ear, feeling Blaine shiver against him. “Having someone’s come inside you, wet and dripping down your ass.”

Blaine bit at his wrist, “You’re cruel, my dick is so angry at you right now.”

“Mhm, liar.”

“You caught me,” He responded with a grin, sucking one of Kurt’s fingers into his mouth for no reason whatsoever except to torture Kurt, who gasped much to Blaine delight. “Cuddles or shower?”

Kurt snickered, “You really think you’re up for another round, so soon?”

“Shush, getting “up” isn’t the problem, staying  _standing_  up would be.”

“That worn out, old man?”

“You’re the only thing holding me up right now,” Blaine whined, dropping further into Kurt’s arms dramatically. “Save me, I’m slipping.”

Kurt giggled, letting himself slide off the counter to hold onto Blaine with better ease as he kept crumbling under his own legs with theatrical sighs.

“You are my rock, Kurt.” Blaine said seriously as he let himself drop completely to the ground, Kurt falling with him with a laugh

“Blaine, oh my god, get up we need to go shower.”

“Nah, it’s nice down here. Join me, my prince,” He added opening his arms wide with a flourish and wiggling around until Kurt finally agreed and settled in his arms.

“Fine, but only for a bit, I need a shower! We can cuddle afterwards.”

“Good, I wanna be the little spoon. But,” Blaine sing-songed, raising a leg slowly, “We could always do both!”

Kurt didn’t have time to understand what he meant before Blaine was pushing the toaster tab down with a maniacal grin. It faltered when nothing happened.

Blaine pouted. It lasted all of five seconds before the sprinklers went off.

“Ah! It’s freezing!” Kurt yelped, the first to be hit.

“Huh, Sue must have fixed something.”

Kurt grumbled into his neck, trying to scoot himself off of Blaine so he would get rained on as much as him.

“What was that about being able to get up?”

Blaine smirked, “Hey, cold shower, I don’t know about you but I had take a great number of them when I was a young lad with a suddenly magical right hand.”

Kurt groaned, cheeks heating up just like they did when he was younger. “Please stop,” He moaned.

“What? You didn’t get hot and bothered when you were younger? Feel tingles in your special places when you saw certain people?”

He was laughing by then, rubbing at Kurt’s shoulder. Kurt just hid his face in his hands, “Oh, my god, stop.”

“I remember the first time I got hard and did something about it. It was an ad in Vogue. For a watch. The guy was smoking hot wearing nothing but the watch and a fucking satin sheet over his lap. Good times...”

Kurt cackled, finally peeking up at Blaine’s mock dreamy far away gaze. “You’re ridiculous.”

“But you love me,” Blaine whispered, meeting Kurt’s eyes.

“I do. Even when you talk about masturbation,” He added with an eyeroll.

“Hey! They invented it for a reason!”

“Yeah well if you ever want to jerk off again we should get away from the icecold water because I’m turning blue.”

Blaine grinned and let Kurt pull him up off the kitchen floor.

They ended up foregoing a “real shower” and cuddled in Blaine’s bed instead where they fell asleep until 4am.

It was Kurt’s grumbling stomach that woke them up.

Blaine laughed, delighted.

“Oh, my god. See! See this is what happens when I exercise and don’t eat!” Kurt groaned, hiding his embarrassed smile in Blaine’s shoulder.

“Sex is a pleasure, not an exercise.” He responded, rubbing a hand over Kurt’s stomach, making it jump under his palm.

“Oh, yeah? How are your thighs then?”

Blaine stilled for a second before nodding, “Fair enough. But I will go to my grave, second grave, calling it the greatest way to exercise ever.”

Kurt snorted, “Well that’s a given. Can we go have food now?”

With a quick peck to his lips Blaine rolled off the bed before pulling Kurt up along, dragging them butt naked to the kitchen.

Kurt’s thighs were burning and from the way Blaine stumbled with a groan, so were his.

As Blaine reached up to get bowls Kurt couldn’t help but cuddle up behind him, pressing himself completely against his back. He enjoyed the little crick in his neck he got whenever he bent down the slightest bit to kiss Blaine’s shoulder.

They had ice cream. They had ice cream with little marshmallows and warmed chocolate sauce and fresh mint and crushed nuts. Because according to Blaine they couldn’t  _just_  have ice cream, they had to have  _post fantastic sex ice cream_. It had to look and taste as good as the sex was.

Apparently that was an impossible feat if Blaine’s “fuck it” before taking a first bite was any indication.

They lounged around the apartment naked for as long as they could before heading to the diner.

Puck’s eyes grew the second they walked in. He looked up slowly, a massive grin taking over his whole face before he threw his arms up and let his head fall back.

“ _Yes_!”

Kurt hid his laugh in Blaine’s shoulder while Blaine went completely red.

Puck stared at them, smile still in place, creepy and huge, throughout the whole meeting. Sue had to stick his post-it to his forehead just in case he hadn’t paid attention.

Just as Kurt and Blaine got up to leave Puck rushed up and hugged them.

“I’m really  _really_  happy for you,” He whispered and Kurt swore he heard tears in his voice.

~-~-~

Kurt’s new job was a whirlwind of  _too much_  for quite a while before he stopped wanting to quit every ten minutes. 

His hours were insane with the training and volunteer work he had to complete before getting to the real stuff which meant he left right after the morning meeting and didn’t come home until Blaine was already asleep.

The only personal time he was allowed during his probation period was to go perform reaps.

On two occasions, during slow days, he lied and said he had a reap when really he just wanted to go home and prepare a meal for Blaine for when he came home. 

The first time it worked out perfectly, Kurt was out the door before Blaine was back, leaving the apartment smelling of a home cooked dinner since he knew Blaine was also not having an easy time at work. It was his first week, too, and he was slightly overwhelmed.

Kurt hated not being there when he came home and eating the meals Blaine left out for him on his own was no fun.

The second time he lied his way out of work Blaine came home early and found him in the kitchen.

He barely had any time to explain before Blaine was kissing him.

After a week and a half of nothing past goodmorning and goodbye kisses it took less than a minute for them to come in their pants, grinding against the entrance to the kitchen.

Kurt went back to work that day with a giddy smile and didn’t think once about quitting.

After two weeks, he only thought about it once a day.

The day Kurt’s probation period was over and he was given his official hours - Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4pm - Kurt and Blaine spent a whole Friday in bed. Sleeping. Eating. Sleeping some more. Sometimes kissing, but mostly sleeping.

Their plan of having nonstop sex was replaced with sleep.

On Saturday they woke up to someone else in the room. J. Hilliard.

~-~-~

Blaine screamed loudly enough for it to resonate in Kurt’s ears for a good few seconds he spent staring at the woman standing at the edge of their bed.

“Wh- how, yo- wha?!” Blaine wheezed, hand over his heart and Kurt would have called him an old man had his own heart not been pounding.

“I’ve seen everything I wanted to see. I’m ready to go now.”

“You’r- Are you kidding me?” Kurt hissed when Blaine’s jaw dropped in shocked silence.

“What? I know how you reapers work, you barely give anyone the time of day and just send people on their way whether they want to go or not.” 

Blaine huffed with such offense Kurt almost smiled. “Did you also know I would never have been able to reach my quota had you kept going on your little adventures?”

“Would you have let me go had I asked?”

Blaine went quiet for a moment. “Yeah, actually. I would have.”

Kurt didn’t hide his smile that time. Blaine would have willingly made his time last longer by his side.

“Well I apologize, then. I knew it wouldn’t take me too long, I just needed to do this.”

Blaine sighed, “I can understand that. Just...”

He didn’t finish his sentence but Kurt was pretty sure he knew what he was thinking.

“This won’t be your last soul, reaper,” Hilliard said, face softening, defensive posture dropping.

“How do you know so much about us?” Kurt asked.

“I was a pharmacist before I came to New York, went from job to job, city to city. I met a lot of travellers, people with stories of death and Lights and humans stuck reborn on an earth they can’t leave. They were tales, back then, but the more I travelled the more I heard and after a while it just... made sense. And then there was proof. When I died.”

“What’s your name?” Blaine voiced suddenly.

“It’s Jackie. Jackie Hilliard. What about you two cuties?”

“I’m Blaine, this is Kurt.”

“We’re naked,” Kurt stated. Only just really remembering.

“I can see that, yeah,” She responded with a smirk. “Don’t worry, my Lights will surely be arriving soon. Having the image of you two buttnaked the last one before I leave the living is pretty fine with me.”

“Wait,” Blaine yelled before clearing his throat. “How did you know we were worried about your soul being the last of my quota?”

“Because I’ve heard the stories of soulmates among reapers. Not soulmates chosen by fate or a list but by chance. Two reapers falling in love is the one thing Death can’t control or foresee. I did my research back when I first heard about the reality of grim reapers.”

Her Lights appeared after that, some homey looking house coming into view while Kurt and Blaine sat speechless. They waved back when she did before stepping into her Light with a smile.

The room went dark again.

“For someone who almost ruined my life she also kind of fixed it.” Blaine mumbled.

Kurt grinned, something warm and comfortable settling in his chest, the confirmation of what they were, of how special they were.

They barely had time for another round of cuddles before the alarm rang.

They didn’t mind too much. It was the weekend, after all.

Sue was the only one at the table when they arrived which was odd given that it was five minutes to 8.

Kurt froze at the entrance of the diner. He realised what was happening and suddenly he couldn’t move. He grabbed onto Blaine’s elbow.

“Kurt? What’s wrong?”

“The ultimatum.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. 

They had talked about it. They had talked about it at length always coming back to the same conclusion. No matter how much they tried to self-sacrifice to let the other move on they still always came back to the same answer.

Kurt swallowed, closed his eyes and forced his body to un-tense, shoulders dropping, jaw loosening, first uncurled. He grabbed Blaine’s hand and walked towards their booth.

The second they sat down Sue spoke.

“I had everyone come get their reaps an hour ago. I need to talk to you two.” She looked up. “I’ve been sent to give you a choice.”

She paused, taking a sip of smoothie. Probably for dramatic effect.

“There are proper ways to do this, normally you’re supposed to be told separately, allowed to decide separately but I won’t do it that way because you already know but also because I respect you more than that.”

Kurt bit his lip, smile pulling at his mouth as Blaine curled his fingers through his under the table.

“I’m not going to make a huge deal out of this because it has nothing to do with me, I’m just the messenger. You have to choose between leaving for the afterlife right now, knowing that you would be leaving one of you behind as well as your quota. I’m not going to lie to you, even if you both picked that only one would be allowed to leave. The soul count has to fall on someone.”

Blaine didn’t even hesitate before asking, “And the other option?”

“You stay. You create a balance with the souls until the last one is the last one for both of you. You still won’t know when you move on but you live knowing it’ll be at the same time. Remember. you need to mak-”

“I chose to stay,” Kurt blurted out. He couldn’t wait any longer, he felt giddy with it.

“You sh-”

“I want to stay, too. Obviously,” Blaine added with an eye roll barely half as impressive as the one Sue gave them.

“Are you sure?” She asked even though she knew the answer. It was obvious in her tone she had seen it coming light-years away.

“Yes.”

Sue leaned back, “Alright, so be it. You have no reaps today, you can go.”

Blaine frowned as Kurt laughed, throwing his head back in a mix of relief and a freedom he never thought he’d ever get to feel.

All the fear and the doubt that remained in a corner of his mind blew away because suddenly there weren’t any what-ifs. There was an expiration date that would come later and he didn’t need to worry about it anymore.

_They_  didn’t need to worry about it anymore. 

That Saturday they bought some more furniture for Blaine’s room which was gonna be turned into an office for the both of them. They got more sheets as well.

On the trip home Blaine suggested they go another way to pass by his old apartment. 

It was against a lot of rules but they had checked online weeks ago about what had happened to it so he knew it was safe since it had been sold.

Blaine looked happy as he gazed up at his old life. A high rise apartment not far from Emma’s.

“Come on,” Blaine whispered suddenly, voice giddy and mischievous as he took Kurt’s hand and pulled him around the back instead of through the main entrance.

Kurt grinned when he saw the fire escape leading up the back of the building.

“One of my favorite parts about this building, it was only renovated into this fancy ass place a decade ago and they haven’t removed the stairs yet,” Blaine explained, pulling the ladder down with practiced ease.

“Snuck in and out from your own place often? Kurt asked with a laugh.

Blaine looked sheepish for a bit, “My mom used to pop in for surprise visits all the time. Sometimes I needed to get away from her and sometimes the doorman called and I had to get there very very quickly.”

Kurt laughed, gesturing for Blaine to go first up the metallic stairs.

They climbed as quietly as they could which just made them giggle like school children doing something they were told not to. Around the fifth floor Kurt started whining, breath starting to dwindle as he grabbed onto Blaine’s sweater with pitiful moans.

On the eighth floor Blaine finally stopped climbing, Kurt leaned against his back gratefully. He wasn’t really that tired out, but Blaine looked comfortable.

Blaine pulled a small piece of metal from a misplaced brick over the window and used it to gently pry open the lock.

“Oh, my god so you have done illegal things!” Kurt whispered.

Blaine scoffed, “I’m the one who put this here since the actual key to the window is always inside and out of reach when I needed it.”

Kurt’s heart was pounding, they knew the place was sold but not if anyone had moved in yet.

As they peeked inside Blaine made a surprised noise, “All my stuff’s still there.”

Kurt leaned over him, peering inside as he felt Blaine tense a little beneath him.

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

“They sold it without emptying it?” He asked, voice no longer a whisper. Kurt didn’t like the sadness in it.

“Most people can’t handle doing that. A lot of the time the stuff that remains when a person is gone suddenly becomes a part of them and dealing with that part is never easy.”

Blaine looked up at him, “Damn, you must be really good at your job.” He whispered, pressing a sweet kiss to Kurt’s lips, a thank you.

“Is it bad that I totally want to go in and snoop through your stuff?” Kurt whispered back causing Blaine to burst out in shocked laughter.

Kurt opened the window enough to slip through, pulling Blaine with him.

“Jesus this place is  _amazing_. If we sell everything in here and at our place do you think we could buy this place out from under the new owners?”

Blaine’s silence said it all.

“Even if Puck and I start a brothel?”

“Come on, let me give you the grand tour,” Blaine suggested before smirking. “You showed me your world, let me show you mine.”

Every room had Kurt’s jaw dropping a little more.

“I decorated it myself instead of letting my brother coax me into getting an interior designer. Took two months to get my parents to really love it.”

“Does seeing it again, all your hard work, make you sad?” Kurt wondered. Still in awe as he ran his fingers over the wood paneling between the kitchen and the dining room. Because Blaine had a dining room.

“Nah, it feels more like an accomplishment I get to see again before it’s gone.”

“I want to make a sandcastle joke, but I won’t,” Kurt giggled.

“You are incorrigible.”

Blaine pulled Kurt along to every room before finally leading him to Blaine’s old bedroom.

“Alright, okay, this is most definitely my favorite room. Blaine, wow!”

Kurt could see it, he could see the Blaine he met living here. It had the same timeless beauty that Blaine had, soft and warm colors with hints of spice and risk. Tasteful and practical yet original. His own brand of magic in a bland world. 

“I loved my room back home, at my parent’s place, so I wanted to kind of recreate it with a little bit of new added int- Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How long did you have this place?”

“Um, I got it right after I moved back to the city, after college, so about six months? Why?” He drew the word out as he watched Kurt finish his circle around the room before coming up to Blaine.

“Has it lost its virginity?”

Blaine let out a shocked giggle, “The, um, the house?”

“Mhm, more specifically, this room.”

Kurt watched with a grin as Blaine swallowed, cheeks going a little pink.

“No.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine, pushing a little at his chest. 

“What do you say we give this place a little christening, something to remember as a goodbye present?”

Blaine sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes automatically going to Kurt’s crotch, almost like he was checking if Kurt was just as turned on as him. Kurt’s grin widened.

Suddenly Blaine paled.

“Oh, my god. Oh my god! Fuck, if my parents had emptied this place they would have found... oh god! What if they had hired movers? Or my brother! Jesus!”

Kurt had a pretty good idea what Blaine was talking about but he had to make sure, “Blaine, do you have... a sex drawer?”

Blaine’s gaze snapped to his, cheeks going from pink to red, eyes darting to the space under the bed in the centre of the room.

“A sex  _box_?” Kurt tried, already taking a few steps back.

Before Blaine could stop him Kurt got down on his knees, making sure to give Blaine enough of any eyeful to distract him long enough to get the two boxes out from under the bed.

The first one was Yale memories, the second one was filled with sex toys, accessories and different kinds of lube.

When Kurt looked up, an “Oh my god” on his lips, he found Blaine hiding behind his own hands. 

“Most of it are prank gifts from college buddies, or female friends that thought I was lonely or something.”

Kurt hid his smile behind his hand, getting up from his space on the floor and stepping back up to Blaine, pulling his fingers from his face.

“Hey, I think it’s hot.”

Blaine stared at him, licking his lips. Kurt leaned forward to kiss them, hands coming up to cup his face.

“We’re taking the box home with us,” Kurt whispered against Blaine’s mouth, catching his slightly aroused whine in another kiss.

Blaine’s arms wrapped around his waist, pulling his shirt up the slightest bit as they walked backwards towards the bed.

Kurt’s knees hit first, making him sit on the edge of the mattress as Blaine backed up a step. Kurt watched with his breath somewhere in the back of his throat and Blaine pulled his shirt off. 

He took his clothes off without making it dramatic or overly sexual, just kept his eyes on Kurt as he slipped out of each layer, leaving him fully naked in front of Kurt whose mouth had gone dry.

“Come here,” Kurt murmured, letting his hands run up and down Blaine’s body. One he had come to know quite well, to love with his everything; heart, soul, eyes, hands.

Blaine was there, absolute trust and love in his eyes as he let Kurt put his hands on him, kiss his skin and pull him onto the bed with him.

Kurt kissed him, bracketing his bent knees around Blaine’s hips to keep him as close as possible, so he could feel every inch of Blaine over his body.

Blaine’s skin was warm, leaving Kurt’s fingers tingling as he ran them over his back before curling them gently into his hair.

They kissed like the first and last time they ever would, they kissed like everything they felt or everything unsaid could be shared with that simple act.

Out of all the experiences they’d had, sexually or otherwise, none of them felt as important as right then, in Blaine’s old bedroom, on the bed he’d brought from the room he’d grown up in. Kurt shook under Blaine’s lips, his tongue, his hands.

It had to be a reaper thing because he was pretty sure this wasn’t something humans described in books and films.

Or maybe it was a them thing.

It took his brain about ten minutes of making out before it shut down just enough for him to only be able to focus on a very naked Blaine grinding down against his jean clad erection. The kiss turned dirty then, biting teeth, bruising lips and relentless mouths followed by desperate hands.

“Fuck,” Kurt hissed when he leaned back enough to give Blaine the chance to suck at his neck, one hand at his waist, winding its way under his shirt to scratch at the skin there.

“You’re so fucking hard,” Blaine growled above him, hand slipping into his jeans and briefs to work his cock, like maybe he thought he would have to get Kurt fully there. He was already fully there.

“I’ve been hard since you got naked in front of me.”

Blaine grinned, squeezing Kurt just to catch his groan on his lips, “I could feel it. Feel  _you_.”

Kurt whined as Blaine slowed his hand down while he kissed the side of his neck. He was pretty sure he could feel his evil smirk in the hickeys he left.

With a huff Kurt reached for Blaine’s face, growling a little before kissing him hard. “You’re very good at that teasing thing.”

Blaine looked slightly dazed when he leaned back, lips puffy from the kissing and attention he’d been paying to Kurt’s neck. Kurt used the opportunity to squirm out of his shirt, almost losing himself in his own sleeves as Blaine leaned back to give him space, grinding his ass over Kurt’s crotch. 

“Shit,” Kurt moaned, grabbing onto Blaine’s hips after throwing his shirt over the side of the bed. He stared up Blaine’s body, watching the way it moved, suddenly with a purpose that wasn’t there before.

Blaine looked positively wrecked as he fucked Kurt through his clothes. It’s with desperate hands that Blaine finally undid Kurt’s jeans, moving up on knees so he could pull them off with Kurt’s whimpering help.

It gave Kurt a lovely view, namely the one of Blaine’s dick right in front of his face. The noise Blaine made out of shock when Kurt took him all in his mouth was loud and perfect to Kurt’s ears.

Blaine’s thighs shook from the position but he stayed, digging his fingers into Kurt’s hair when Kurt grabbed his ass, hauling him closer on his knees.

“Shit, shit,  _Kurt_ ,” Blaine breathed, body convulsing forward, trembling as much as his voice on every yell. “Lube, get the lube. Drawer, th-Ah! There!”

Kurt pulled off with a grin, jerking Blaine off with his fist while he reached over to get to the drawer, refusing to move away from Blaine. It took a while but he managed.

“Plain? I’m disappointed, Blaine Anderson, I was expecting something more... exotic.”

“Shut up and lube up, Hummel,” Blaine nearly growled without any heat and Kurt grinned, letting go of his cock to comply. Blaine whimpered, hips canting forward, the head of his dick slipping over Kurt’s lips. He gasped when Kurt opened his mouth willingly.

Blaine slid in easily while Kurt opened the lube and let a bit of it fall on the small of Blaine’s back, making him hiss and fuck forward, which was what Kurt was aiming for. 

He let his eyes fall shut as he hummed around Blaine, letting a finger spread the lube down between Blaine’s cheeks, enjoying the high moan it got him.

Blaine let his knees slide a little down on the mattress, either unconsciously or not Kurt didn’t know but he was grateful when the tip of his finger went in perfectly, Blaine opening up for him perfectly.

He quickly added more cool lube before continuing, trying to focus on tightening his mouth around Blaine at the right moments to pull more of beautiful noises he was making out of Blaine.

The first two fingers went in easily and it barely took any time before Blaine was fucking himself back and forth on Kurt’s hand and his mouth. Kurt pulled out to add a third, humming around Blaine’s cock simultaneously to distract from any stretch even though he was pretty sure he didn’t have to worry if the way Blaine was moaning non-stop was anything to go by.

Blaine was so focused on Kurt’s fingers he barely noticed when he slipped out of Kurt’s mouth.

“God, look at you,” Kurt murmured, kissing at the taunt, tensing muscles of Blaine’s belly. “So gorgeous.”

Blaine keened, loud and raw when Kurt slowed the movement of his fingers down, watching in awe as Blaine fucked himself back on them as he reached down to grab at Kurt’s wrist, begging him in whines to continue.

“Jus- Please, just kee- Oh! Kurt, please!”

Kurt exhaled through his nose, leaning further up to press his lips to Blaine’s sternum where he could  _feel_  Blaine’s whimpers and moans. “Please what?”

“Fuck me! Fuck me, please! I want you t-” Blaine’s pleas cut off with a groan as Kurt removed his fingers, quickly reaching for the lube again, kissing Blaine’s skin as he put a generous amount on himself with careful fingers as Blaine trembled in his lap.

“How do you want me?” Blaine asked before Kurt could say anything, making him close his eyes and squeeze at the base of his dick.

“Lie down for me? On your back?” Kurt asked, watching in amazement as Blaine fell onto the bed and spread his legs, beckoning Kurt with reverent caresses everywhere he could reach, pleading him with his eyes and smile.

Kurt settled in the same position they were in earlier, but in reverse. Blaine’s knees bracketing him this time around, kissing up Kurt’s trembling arms as he leaned on them to curve into Blaine’s body, kissing him slow and languid.

Blaine reached down without Kurt noticing, too busy focused on Blaine fucking his mouth with his tongue as Blaine ran his fingers over Kurt’s cock, guiding it to his hole while staring into Kurt’s eyes, grinning at the choked moan Kurt let out, mouth open.

Kurt finally looked down, watched as he disappeared the slightest bit into Blaine’s ass. Only Blaine’s nails scratching down his arms reminded Kurt to breathe, to suck in the amount of air he needed to pull back, almost all the way out before inching back in.

Blaine was already moving his hips, making begging little noises in the back of his throat, ankles rubbing over Kurt’s ass to get him deeper.

“C’mon, please!” He sobbed when Kurt pulled back again.

Inch by inch Kurt bottomed out, eyes going back and forth between watching himself go in and out of Blaine or Blaine himself; his face, the flush on his cheeks, his open mouth, his closed eyes. The way he was arching off the bed in an ecstasy Kurt could hear in the noises coming out of his mouth.

By focusing on Blaine he managed to stop from coming because Blaine was tight and hot around him, every time Kurt would stop to breathe Blaine would fuck himself on Kurt’s cock, faster than Kurt was capable of handling.

He didn’t really mind much, though.

Not with the way Blaine looked. Not with how good it felt. Not with the way Blaine  _sounded_.

Before long Kurt was following the pace of Blaine’s hips, fucking in with deep thrusts while Blaine sunk his fingers in Kurt’s hair and let himself just take it. He kept repeating a mantra of ‘ _yes yes Kurt fuck yes faster_ ’.

So he did, he settled his heated face against Blaine’s throat and fucked in hard, feeling Blaine’s breath hitch against his cheek before he drove in again, biting down a little at the junction at Blaine’s shoulder, hearing him cry out.

“Y-yes! Fuck!”

Once Kurt found enough strength he leaned back, sitting up while still fucking into Blaine without missing a beat. He watched for a moment how amazing the sight was, how well Blaine was taking him, how beautiful he looked and how much he was obviously enjoying it.

Kurt gripped at Blaine’s hips, using his grip to pound into him faster like Blaine begged him to. His whole body  _burned_  with it in the way he knew he would feel the next day and he loved it. 

Blaine was so close to coming, Kurt could tell from the way he was wound up, the way his hips moved in jerky aborted movements, the way he started biting down on his lip like he knew he would be too loud if he didn’t. Kurt couldn’t have that.

He slowed down, slid out torturously slow before pushing back in, holding his cock at the perfect angle to hit Blaine’s prostate on the next thrust in. He knew he got it on the third one when Blaine’s lip slid free from between his teeth and he keened, hips arching up.

Kurt kept that pace, sharp slaps of his hips, thumbs back to digging into the skin of Blaine’s waist. Blaine was back from the edge, back to growling for Kurt to go faster again, holding onto Kurt’s wrist as he took every thrust with an involuntary noise of pleasure.

“You wanna come?” Kurt panted, falling forward onto him again, punctuating the sentence with a rough twist of his hips that had him yelling as loudly as Blaine.

“Please, come on!”

Kurt snapped his hips forward, rhythm fast again as his heart pounded in his lips where they pressed against Blaine’s jaw. An ice cold shock rushed over him as he felt Blaine come around him, sending it through his veins like he was  _feeling_  Blaine’s orgasm in his own blood.

It blinded him, the sharp spikes of pleasure searing everywhere their skin met. Somewhere distantly he felt Blaine grab his hand, he felt lips on his wrist like a prayer, like a tether bringing him back down.

It was a shock, finding out he hadn’t actually come when he came back to his own body. His cock was still hard in Blaine who was turning them over, settling on top of Kurt to fuck himself down on his dick.

He rode him slowly, hissing between each moan at the jolts of oversensitivity. Kurt could only watch, mouth open, fingers digging into Blaine thighs, feeling the muscles there work as he used them to raise himself and fall over and over again.

Blaine worked himself over in Kurt’s lap, head thrown back as he started to tire but refused to stop. The thankful noise he made when Kurt fucked up made him remember just how much he needed to come and Blaine was giving him that.

So he took.

He grabbed onto his waist and thrust in again and again, pounded into Blaine as well as he could from his position, muscles burning from the force of it in the most human of ways. 

When he did come, hips still jerking up, breaking the tempo of the sounds they were making, he let out a silent scream he felt throughout his whole body. His orgasm wasn’t ripped from him, it was built like a rising pressure that left him trembling through climax. 

It felt like falling in the greatest of ways.

Coming back to was intense, a battle of opening his eyes against post-orgasm fatigue, fighting down the giddy smile pulling at his lips, feeling his body again, finding his breath again.

Blaine wasn’t faring much better, he hadn’t moved from on top of Kurt and Kurt was pretty sure he had come a second time, leaving him even more wiped out.

“Holy fuck,” Blaine wheezed against his shoulder followed by a breathless laugh.

“So this whole sex thing...”

“Reaper thing?”

“I’m not even sure anymore,” Kurt giggled, trying to force air back into his lungs. “Wouldn’t Puck have told us about that?”

“Well he did seem pretty adamant on getting us to screw each other’s brains out.”

“His encouragement was falsely advertised in that case, he said nothing about dying and coming back to life with the force of an orgasm. I mean, call me dramatic but I’m pretty sure I just saw my Lights before coming back down.”

Blaine laughed and Kurt joined in. They were naked and sweaty and in love and suddenly everything was laughter and teary eyes and arms around stomachs and losing their breath all over again.

When they finally settled down, smiles still burning bright, Kurt couldn’t help but reach out and run his fingers over Blaine’s face, catching his smile with his fingertips before leaning over to kiss it.

It took a while but soon they were dressed again, deciding to go home to their shower instead of taking one there.

They never did take the money Blaine had hidden in the wall of his bedroom before they left, deciding to leave it there either for them later on or for the new owners.

The trip home was an uncomfortable one, Kurt could tell from Blaine’s scrunched up face every time he walked. That and their linked hands entertained Kurt all the way home.

~-~-~

Kurt was half asleep at the diner booth, head resting on the table when everyone else arrived.

Blaine had managed to convince him for a second round in the shower followed by a third a few hours later in the middle of the night. Kurt had agreed without second thought. Now he was having second thoughts given how little sleep they got.

Blaine had been teasing him about being old since the alarm had rung that morning, dismissing all claims that being two years older than Blaine didn’t make him old. 

He groaned when he felt Mike pet his hair in a good morning gesture.

It’s only when Blaine squeezed his hand under the table that he leaned up, eyes refusing to open all the way.

“Something keep you up all night, Porcelain?” Sue asked casually as she sat down.

No one at the table was able to hold in their laugh, even Emma’s was loud and delighted in a shocked way.

Kurt couldn’t help but grin a little, there was no use trying to hide anything from a bunch of reapers whose jobs was to read people.

Sue smirked before giving everyone their post-its. She put a blue one in front of Kurt and Blaine.

Everyone at the table went quiet. They all reacted like they had never in their life seen a post-it of another color, which, in their line of work, was almost true. None of them ever bought any kind of sticky notes, yellow or otherwise.

“It’s blue,” Mike mumbled, reaching out for it without actually touching it.

Sue rolled her eyes, “It’s a damn post-it. Blue is the new color for joined reaps, close all your mouths, you monkeys.”

Puck grinned before bolting over the table to touch it. 

“I touched it! I was the first to touch the blue post-it!” He yelled, causing curious eyes to gaze tiredly over at them.

They were all too busy laughing to care. Even Sue smiled before she got up and left.

“G. Marten. 3:04pm. The address is... somewhere in Chelsea.” Blaine read off after dragging the post-it from Puck’s hold.

“3pm? Good, so you’ll still be able to host dinner for everyone,” Mike smirked.

“Oh, are we?” Kurt retorted, leaning forward on his elbows.

Mike did the same with a cluck of his tongue, “Um, yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s your turn.”

Kurt grinned, “Alright, dinner at our place, 6pm. Bring drinks.”

Everyone catcalled and it took Kurt a few seconds to realise he’d just referred to the apartment as  _their place_.

With a smirk Kurt got up, pulling at Blaine’s sleeve. “If you’ll excuse us, we have sleep to catch up on.”

They managed to get out before the rest of the group could start making teasing comments.

They spent the morning walking around the city, talking about anything and everything. Their jobs, their apartment. Their friends and the dinner they were hosting for them that night.

Around noon they took a bus to Chelsea where they had a long lunch at an Italian place, Tre Dici, before heading at the address on their blue post-it.

It was an apartment building which made finding the name easier. Getting in, however, was not as simple since they needed a viable excuse to go knocking at his door that would involve him buzzing them in.

While they plotted on the stoop a woman came out of the building, leaving the door wide open. Blaine stuck his foot in it before it could close.

They still had ten minutes to spare by the time they found the right door. 

“What are we going for?” Blaine asked.

“Lottery winner?”

“Gaz check?”

“Sprinklers check?” Kurt suggested with a snort, earning himself a loud laugh from Blaine.

The door opened.

“Can I help you with anything?” The attractive man in the doorway asked with a somewhat confused smile.

Kurt raised a single appreciative eyebrow before clearing his throat.

“Is this L. Marten’s residence?”

The man frowned a little, “Um, no, I’m Gregory Marten. There is no “L” living under this roof, that I know of,” He added with a smile.

“Oh, our apologies,” Blaine giggled, reaching out to shake Gregory’s hand before Kurt could.

Blaine’s ears were red by the time they were back in the elevator where they exchanged the same giddy grin.

“Alright, alright. We need to stay profession-” Blaine tried only to be cut off by Kurt’s lips.

Blaine grinned before kissing back tenderly. 

The alarm rang on Kurt’s phone rang then.

When Gregory Marten appeared a few seconds later Kurt and Blaine were on separate sides of the elevator wearing matching grins.

In the end the reap took less than two hours during which they went to visit three of Gregory’s family members. They got to find out about his background, his family and their beliefs on death and the afterlife.

What affected them the most, though, was when he thanked them before leaving, thanked them for saving his life and saving each other’s.

Blaine looked happily shell-shocked throughout the trip back to their neighborhood. 

“Hey, should we stop by the store? Get some things for tonight?” Kurt asked with a grin when Blaine turned dopily towards him.

It was between the cereal and the jam that Blaine grabbed his hand and pulled him into his arms.

Kurt kissed him, then, because Blaine looked lost and confused all the sudden.

“He thanked us. Why did he thank us?” Blaine whispered against Kurt’s lips when he leaned back, hands coming up to curl against Kurt’s chest.

“For some people death is a salvation, the ultimate freedom, like a gift at the end of a full life.”

“So it’s a religious thing?” He asked in a small voice even though he was smiling.

Kurt mirrored his smile, rubbing his nose against Blaine’s. 

“Not necessarily, it’s a feeling, a reality some humans share.”

Blaine stayed silent for a bit, “Did you feel that way?”

“I was almost 24 when I died, the only feeling I had was anger and resentment. But I also didn’t get to move on.”

“You were stuck,” Blaine filled in.

“In a way, yes. But it was so much bigger than that, it just took me a while to get over my anger, to get over the feeling that my life had been stolen from me. This job... it’s a clean slate, a second chance at a life, one that already has meaning. Does that make any sense?”

Blaine grinned, “Yeah, yeah it does. I’m grateful for it. I was angry at first, sure, but now it’s mostly gratitude.”

“You were very good at hiding it,” Kurt added before kissing Blaine’s nose just because he could and no one was in their aisle. 

“You made it go away, whenever I was,  _am_ , with you none of that matters.”

“God we’re cheesy. Honest, but cheesy,” Kurt teased even though he knew exactly how well Blaine’s words applied to him. He felt the same way.

“It’s a thing we do. It’s an us thing.”

“And what should this us make for dinner tonight?” Kurt asked with a laugh as Blaine gave him a small “pick something” twirl even though they were still in the breakfast aisle. 

“How about the spaghetti you had at lunch, it looked really good,” Blaine suggested.

Kurt grinned, “Did it really? It also tasted good, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”

“Alright, so I had a few bites.”

“Blaine. You ate half of it.”

“Yes, well, it was that good. We should make that.”

Kurt laughed before nodding with mock resignation as Blaine giggled and pulled him and the cart towards the next aisle.

By the time they got home Emma was already there setting the table.

It was a habit they had all gotten into when they all swapped keys to each other’s places. If someone was late, or early, they had permission to go in and start. It was like family.

After putting some music on they started cooking. Emma helped for a bit before everyone started arriving. 

Puck brought the desert he had actually made to the kitchen, giving Kurt and Blaine huge smacking kisses on each of their cheeks before grabbing more items that needed to be put on the table.

Mike brought wine and even Sue brought some kind of special expensive coffee for afterwards.

Kurt and Blaine cooked side by side while their friends laughed and danced around or watched Mike dance around them.

Right as the sauce was done and the pasta was cooked the fire alarm went off followed by the telltale groan of pipes.

Automatically Blaine covered the food as Kurt put the top over the pot the spaghetti was in.

Emma gasped when the sprinklers went off a second later while Puck laughed.

“Still screwed up, then?” Mike asked.

Already soaked, Kurt shrugged with a small smile.

“Why on earth are you just standing there?  _What is going on_?” Emma squealed, taking steps backwards like the water was suddenly going to change course and aim for her.

Kurt grinned, blinking water out of his eyes as he tucked a wet curl behind Blaine’s ear, letting himself be led into an embrace.

“It’s an  _us_  thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit that's it, that's the end!
> 
> Thank you so so much to everyone who read this, it really means the world to me that people gave this a chance, given that the main subject is kinda... well, death.
> 
> Anyway! Thank you again and goodbye! 
> 
> If you wish, you can find me on tumblr, I'm "znks" on there.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank my rock, Cass, for holding my hand through all of this. My anchor, Charlotte, for petting my hair and helping me plot while I cried. And last but not least my angel, Luke, for the mental support, sense support, timeline support and general support all around.
> 
> Another huge thank you to Ann and Beizy for the cuddling while I whined about various things.
> 
> You guys are the reason I wrote and finished this, thank you.


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